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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and you’re probably trying to figure out what to do for your special someone. Well, we’ve got the solution for you! We’ve made these easy cocktails that will impress your date with your mad mixology skills.
We’ve gone for easy to make but still delicious cocktails so that you can focus on entertaining and not getting your measures exact.
1. Aperol Spritz
Spritz cocktails are the perfect way to kick off a romantic meal for two. They’re light, refreshing, and easy to make. Plus, if you’re cooking up something special in the kitchen, they’ll be ready by the time you’re ready to sit down!
Aperol is the best known and most popular, but you can also use Campari or vermouth based drinks such as Martini Fiero.
Ingredients:
- 50 ml Aperol (or Campari)
- Prosecco or sparkling wine
To make one cocktail: Add 50 ml (double shot) Aperol or Campari to a glass filled with ice cubes. Top with Prosecco or sparkling wine, stir gently, and serve. To add a bit of a zing, add a slice of orange to the glass.
2. Cucumber gin fizz
This is a great drink for Valentine’s Day because it’s light and sweet but also not too sweet, so it won’t leave anyone feeling too full after dinner. You can drink this any time of the year, though—it’s delicious!
Ingredients:
- 50 ml gin
- 15ml lemon juice
- 15ml sugar syrup
- 2 dashes angostura bitters
- Crushed ice
- Soda water
Directions:
1) Add the sugar syrup and bitters to a cocktail shaker. Add all the other ingredients except for the soda water. Shake well with cubed ice until chilled, about 30 seconds.
2) Strain into a medium glass filled with crushed ice cubes and top with soda water. Garnish with a slice of cucumber or mint leaves.
3. Raspberry Mojito
A fun and fruity take on the original mojito. You can also switch raspberries for strawberries, lychees, watermelon or other fruit, depending on your taste.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries (or your choice of fruit), plus more for garnish
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 lime sliced
- 50 ml white rum
- Club soda or seltzer water to top off glass (optional)
Muddle the rum, lime, mint and sugar in a tumbler glass. Be careful not to break the mint leaves up, so gently bash the lime and mint to release the oils but not to leave floating pieces.
Take your fruit of choice and either puree in a blender, or crush in a separate glass. Strain to remove seeds and flesh and then add around 50ml to the mojito mix.
Fill the glass with crushed ice. Top off with club soda, stir gently to combine, then garnish with mint sprigs and raspberries.
4. Pornstar Martini
The Pornstar Martini is a drink that screams “I’m sexy, and I know it!” This cocktail is sure to get you all hot and bothered on Valentine’s Day.
Here’s how to make this tasty treat:
Ingredients:
- 50ml vodka
- 25 ml Passoa liqueur or other passionfruit liqueur
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (or lime)
- 1 tsp. sugar syrup (or simple syrup)
- Sparkling wine (Champage, prosecco or cava to taste)
- Fresh passion fruit (halved)
Blend all the ingredients, except the champagne/sparkling wine, in a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice for 30 seconds and strain into a martini cocktail glass.
Top with sparkling wine/prosecco. For a finishing touch, float half a passion fruit in the middle of the cocktail.
5. Espresso Martini
Simple, elegant and delicious, the Espresso Martini is the prefect pre-Valentines dinner cocktail. And it’s also quite an easy cocktail to make.
Ingredients:
- 50 ml vodka
- 25 ml Kahlua
- 50 ml espresso coffee
- 10 ml simple sugar syrup (to taste)
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake well, and strain into a chilled martini glass.
You should have a subtle foam on the top, so carefully place three coffee beans in a triangle to garnish.
How to make the best cocktails
The best cocktails are in the ingredients. So this means picking the best rum, vodka or liqueurs for your recipe.
If you want to impress your date, you might not want to get lots of bottles of cocktails to use once, so instead get a specific cocktail mixing kit. Cocktail Crates offer beautiful packages of some of the most popular cocktails, with all the ingredients you need to get mixing.
Choose from favourites such as the espresso martini or margarita to the old fashioned or pina colada. Best of all you won’t have an assortment of leftover bottles cluttering up your drinks cabinet for the next two years.
Browse the full selection at Cocktail Crates.
