Spice Up Valentine’s Day With Specialty Cocktails

Add a bit of liquid love to your night of romance.

Love is in the air!  Valentine’s Day is near.  The year’s most romantic holiday is back again, and whether you are celebrating it with someone you love or practicing a bit of self-love, there is no better time for a craft cocktail.  What shows a deep appreciation for oneself or for another than taking the time out and making a signature cocktail that is sure to enhance your night.  And with that, we have some exciting and delicious cocktails you can try out for yourself.

First up, we have a delectable pairing of chocolate and whisky.  Recently, GlenDronach has partnered with Nick’s Pick Ring Dings from The Ring Ding Bar to create a new twist on the Rob Roy cocktail.  The GlenDronach 12 Year Old elevates the Rob Roy cocktail, which is said to have been first served in 1894 at the renowned Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The whisky’s layers of sherry, creamy vanilla, and oak beautifully harmonize with the sweet vermouth and brandied cherries.

Rob Roy

Ingredients

• ¾ oz. The GlenDronach Original Aged 12 Years
• 1 oz. Vermouth
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Garnish: Brandied Cherry

Method: Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until very cold and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with cherry.

Next we have one of our favorites, a rose infused gin made with Glendalough Rose Gin.  This gin is made by using  carefully-tended flowers from an Irish rose garden are slowly vapor distilled with wild roses and botanicals from the Wicklow mountains to make this intensely floral gin. After distilling, the gin is then further infused with even more roses to deepen the flavors and give it its lovely pink hue.  And this cocktail creation using it is called the Hibiscus Rose, a beautiful and flavorful drink sure to be the perfect accompaniment to Valentine’s Day plans

Hibiscus Rose

Ingredients

• 5 oz Glendalough Rose Gin
• ½ oz Hibiscus Tea Syrup*
• ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• Prosecco
• Dried Lemon Wheel
• Rose Petal

Method: Pour the Rose Gin, Hibiscus Tea Syrup and Lemon  Juice into a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a coupe glass and top with prosecco. Garnish with a dried lemon wheel and a rose petal on top. *Hibiscus tea syrup = Steep 7 Hibiscus tea bags in 33  oz of water for 15 mins. Add 16 oz of sugar and stir until dissolved.

And what Valentine’s Day cocktail roundup wouldn’t include a drink made with champagne.  And this next cocktail is a wonderful twist on the beloved mimosa.

Me, Myself & Mimosa

 Ingredients

• Vera Wang PARTY
• 5 oz mango juice
• 5 oz rosemary syrup

Method: In a cute flute, stir together juice and syrup. Top with chilled prosecco. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

If you are more of a vodka lover, then this cocktail is the drink for you.  Incorporating both vodka and champagne, the Seagram’s Berry In Love Mimosa will definitely sweeten your V-Day.

Seagram’s Berry In Love Mimosa

Ingredients 

• 2 ounces of Seagram’s Pineapple Vodka
• ½ ounce of strawberry syrup
• ½ ounce in lemon juice
• top with champagne
• Garnish with strawberry and citrus peel

Method: Add everything to a shaker except the champagne. Shake then strain into champagne glass. Top with champagne and garnish with strawberry and citrus peel.

If you like tequila with a bit of a twist, we highly recommend a PATRON cocktail made with Patrón Sherry Cask Añejo.  This drink is called the Five Seasons.

Five Seasons

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Patrón Sherry Cask Añejo
• .75 oz oloroso sherry
• .75 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
• .5 oz pumpkin puree
• .25 oz blood orange syrup, such as Liquid Alchemist brand
• 1 bar spoon St Elizabeth Allspice Dram
• 1 dash Bar Keep Baked Apple Bitters
• Grated cinnamon and edible flower, for garnish

Method: Shake all liquid ingredients vigorously with ice and fine-strain into chilled coupe glass over a single chunk of large, clear ice. Garnish with grated cinnamon and edible flower.

Another vodka cocktail that we recommend comes from Russian Standard Vodka.  This drink is called the Russian Standard Berry Be Mine and is a light and refreshing cocktail that will brings your spirits high.

Russian Standard Berry Be Mine

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Russian Standard Original Vodka
• 1 oz Real strawberry purée
• 3 Basil leaves
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• Splash soda water
• Strawberries and basil leaf for garnish

Method:  In a cocktail shaker, muddle the strawberry purée, basil leaves, and lemon juice.  Add Russian Standard Original Vodka and shake until combined.  Next, strain into a Collins glass, add a splash of soda and garnish with strawberries and a basil leaf.

And lastly, if you are looking to add a bit of spice to your drink, we recommend creating a wonderful Mezcal cocktail that will add the spice and smoke to any drink.  The Cutwater Spirits Hibiscus Hearts cocktail is an absolute delight and is fairly easy to make too.

Cutwater Spirits Hibiscus Hearts

Ingredients

• 5oz Cutwater Mezcal
• 5oz hibiscus tea (chilled)
• .5oz cinnamon syrup
• .5oz lemon

Method: Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Serve with a dried hibiscus flower and cinnamon stick garnish