Valentine’s Day was, once upon a time, a celebration and feast day recognizing one or more martyred saints named Valentine. Today, we all know it as the day in which people in relationships put on a big show, and single people put on Netflix or beer goggles.
How did we get here? Thanks a lot, Chaucer.
Myths, stories, and speculations aside, the fact is, Valentine’s Day is often kind of a drag for everyone. If you’re in a relationship, you’re probably feeling the pressure to one-up what you did last year, or to make your first holiday together memorable, despite the fact that it’s pretty damn prescriptive and has been for years. If you’re not in a relationship, well, I F*CKING GET IT, ST. VALENTINE.
You know what’s not a drag? Adult beverages. Adult beverages are the opposite of a drag. Today, we’ve got something for everyone, because on Valentine’s Day, EVERYONE has a reason to drink, and it doesn’t matter what that reason is:
FOR GOING OUT
Champagne in an Igloo — IO Godfrey Lounge, Chicago
Heat up date night in a cool setting. For Valentine’s Day and beyond, IO, a rooftop bar at the Godfrey Hotel Chicago, is offering couples the chance to get cozy within insulated clear-dome igloos. No matter the weather, you’ll be able to enjoy the outdoor terrace, the night sky, cocktails, and a bit of privacy from within your personal snow globe.
Cotton Candy Martini — Barton G., Los Angeles
Try your cotton candy all grown up at Barton G. in Los Angeles. This Night Circus of a cocktail features citrus vodka, ruby red grapefruit juice, orange juice, and Cointreau, poured over house-made fairy floss. Drinks and a show in one!
I’ll Have What He’s Having + I’ll Have What She’s Having — Travelle Kitchen + Bar, Chicago
If you guys already started with a meet-cute, don’t let the stories stop there. Head on over to Travelle and order this pairing. Both include bubbles, pineapple, and sage; his features whiskey, and hers features citron vodka. Swap, share, and Instagram the crap out of his duck face and her mustache.
His and Hers — Filini Bar and Restaurant, Chicago
His and hers cocktails are definitely a thing for Valentine’s Day 2016, and for good reason. How would you decide between rye, pineapple shrub, lime, and simple syrup vs. peppercorn, Campari, St. Germain, lime, and beet shrub soda? Go with your sweetie (or your best friend), order one of each, and share.
Treuse or Dare — Gracie’s, Providence, R.I.
Gracie’s four-cocktail Valentine’s menu includes romantic flavors of peppercorn and poppy, hibiscus and blood orange. The flirty Treuse or Dare, made with beet juice, gin, sage liqueur, rosemary, lime, and Yellow Chartreuse is a creative addition and appropriate addition. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and procreation, was said to eat beets to maintain and enhance her beauty. She’d probably get a kick out of this cocktail, and so will you.
Love Potion Margarita — 89Agave, Sedona, Ariz.
For some, Valentine’s Day is meant to be a quiet night in. For others, it’s an excuse for a fiesta. If you’re of the second party and near Sedona, Ariz., head on over to 89Agave for a margarita of house-infused hibiscus reposado, damiana, and pomegranate. With eight other margaritas on the menu and a full cocktail and beer menu aside, you and your crew will have no trouble finding something to suit your tastes.
She’s Lost Control — by Diana Benanti for Taste by Niche, St. Louis
This Valentine’s Day, Taste — a James Beard Award Best Chef: Midwest-winning cocktail bar — offers an intoxicating cocktail of lavender vodka, lime cordial, lime, Luxardo maraschino, black pepper, rose water, and club soda.
Whole Lotta Rosie — Restaurant 1833, Monterey, Calif.
Roses say romance, and in Restaurant 1833’s signature Valentine’s cocktail, you can drink them, courtesy of their house infused rose water. The cocktail is finished with sauternes, pressed pomegranate, and raspberry eau de vie. Whether you’re looking for an intimate evening for two or a rowdy gathering of friends, 1833’s adobe with its five different dining rooms is prepared to cater to your needs.
FOR A COCKTAIL PARTY (WITH RECIPES!)
Mixology Astrology — by Trisha Antonsen for Drizly
You can offer your date every cocktail under the stars, with Drizly’s astrology-themed libations. Better yet, offer them the cocktail under their star sign. Kitschy, cheeky, and a dash romantic, they’re a playful way to do a little relationship-divining, and because you’re getting a little buzzed, you won’t have to take it too seriously if it turns out your date seriously believes in the effects of Mercury in retrograde or the healing power of amethysts.
Cupid’s Cup and Shugga Daddy — Dia de Campo, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
If you can’t head to Hermosa Beach this February 14, Dia de Campo gives you the next best thing: recipes for their his and hers cocktails to make at home.
Cupid’s Cup Ingredients:
- 3 dashes Fire Agua
- 1 oz The Botanist gin
- 1 oz St. Germaine
- 1/2 oz Campari
- 1/2 oz passion fruit
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 1/4 float St. George Raspberry
Directions:
- Shake all ingredients except for the St. George, then dump into margarita glass.
- Float the St. George. Garnish with lemon peel.
Shugga Daddy Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Fighting Cock
- 1/2 oz Cynar
- 2 dashes Aztec chocolate bitters
- 1/2 oz dark amber maple
- 1 squeeze orange wedge
Directions:
- Strain over new ice into a 9 oz rocks glass. Garnish with orange peel.
In some cultures the pomegranate is said to represent fertility, abundance, and marriage, so it makes a fitting ingredient here for a romantic cocktail.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 parts Maker’s Mark bourbon
- 1 part pomegranate juice
- 1/2 part lemon juice
- Ginger beer (chilled) to fill
Directions:
- Combine lemon juice, pomegranate juice, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake vigorously for minute, then pour over ice into a collins glass and top off with ginger beer; garnish with lime wheels
Blushing Vesper — by Jaime Rios for Top of the Standard, Manhattan
This appropriately blush-toned riff on the classic vesper martini is the perfect beverage for a girls’ night in or an intimate evening for two.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 parts Menage a Trois Berry vodka
- 1 1/2 parts Lillet Rose
- 1 part Tanqueray
- .25 parts Campari
Directions:
- Add all ingredients into a mixing glass and stir for about 10 seconds with ice.
- Strain into a rocks glass with whiskey stones or large cube of ice. Garnish with lemon twist.
The Bachelorette — by Gary Hayward for Embers Ski Lodge, Tennessee
Sweet, spicy, tart, and floral, the Bachelerotte is everything nice in one glass — with a little kick besides.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Blanco tequila
- 1/2 oz fresh lime
- 1 oz grapefruit juice
- 1/2 oz cinnamon syrup
- 3 drops vanilla extract
- Rose water
Directions:
- Shake ingredients together and serve over crushed ice.
- Mist with rose water
Valentine’s Cocktail — The Ritz Prime Seafood, Newport Beach, Calif.
Bubbles and Chambord make for a perfectly pink cocktail. It’s effervescent and sweet — like a first date going well. And if it’s not going well… you can always drink two!
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
- 1 oz Absolut vodka
- 1/2 oz Chambord
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- Prosecco to top
Directions:
- Shake, strain, and top with prosecco. Garnish with 2 raspberries.
Midnight KIN — KIN White Whiskey
If your date prefers a vodka cocktail but is looking to experiment, KIN’s Valentine’s cocktail is a great place to start. Smooth white whiskey is a gateway to the whiskey world; here it plays with berries and bitters for a decadent after-dinner drink.
Ingredients:
- 4 blackberries
- 4 sage leaves
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 oz honey syrup
- 1/2 oz Armagnac or brandy
- 1 1/2 oz KIN White Whiskey
Directions:
- Muddle sage and blackberries.
- Add remaining ingredients, then add ice, stir, and strain into a coupe glass.
- Garnish with a couple of blackberries and a sprig of sage.
The Velvet Voice — by Jennifer Keyser for Geraldine’s
This cocktail is simple to prepare but pays off in smoky complex flavor. By infusing your own vermouth with hibiscus, you’ll give yourself a little time to chat with your guests, as well as a talking point.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Del Maguey Vida Mezcal
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz hibiscus infused Dolin Rouge (used dried hibiscus flowers, takes 1 hour)
- 2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
- Grapefruit peel
Directions:
- Quickly stir all ingredients.
- Pour over large ice cube in a highball glass.
CRUZ Choco-tini — by Niccole Trzaska for The Liberty NYC
Chocolate? Check. Wine? Check. Tequila? Check. All you need to survive Valentine’s Day in one beverage!
Ingredients:
- 2 parts CRUZ Reposado Tequila
- 3 parts Choco-vine chocolate wine
Directions:
- Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass.
- Garnish with chocolate sauce and cinnamon if desired.
Not Your Kid’s Hot Chocolate — by Dean Gardiner for Ocean House, Rhode Island
Heat up your chocolate-lover’s holiday with this distinctly adult beverage.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Don Julio Anejo
- 1/2 oz Godiva milk chocolate liqueur
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 3 oz milk
- Chocolate sauce
- 1 large cinnamon marshmallow
Directions:
- Heat milk and chocolate sauce with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Add tequila and Godiva liqueur, stir until liquids are incorporated.
- Top with cinnamon marshmallow.
Grammy’s Cocktails — The Mixing Room at The JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE
Love is worth celebrating. So is not dating someone who sucks. Singles in the house, The Mixing Room raises a glass to you. At JW Marriott Los Angeles, they’re completely forgoing Valentine’s Day and celebrating the Grammy Awards instead, with these three cocktails. Sip one and salute yourself.
Retired Dragon Ingredients:
- .50 oz fresh lime juice
- .25 oz agave nectar
- .50 fresh blood orange juice
- 1.5 oz Avion Reposado tequila
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients into mixing tin; shake and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice.
- Garnish with fresh lime wedge.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Absolut Peach
- .75 oz Cointreau
- .75 fresh lime juice
- .25 cranberry juice
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients into mixing tin; shake and double strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with a lemon peel.
Comfortably Numb Ingredients:
- 2 oz Southern Comfort
- 1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
- 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing beaker; stir 20-30 times.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice or double strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with Luxardo maraschino cherries.
Damrell’s Fire — by Rayan Turner of Design Confidential with Bernzomatic
Looking to heat things up for the holiday? Do it literally with a blowtorched cocktail.
Ingredients:
- 3 oz bourbon
- 2 oz fresh lemon juice
- 2 oz simple syrup
- 1 tbsp egg white
- 1 tbsp limoncello
- 1 lemon for garnish
Directions:
- Shake bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white in a shaker with ice.
- Strain into cocktail coupe or double old fashioned glass.
- Top with limoncello, pouring slowly over the back of a spoon to float.
- Carefully light with your Bernzomatic Micro Torch and extinguish any flame after a few seconds. Garnish with lemon slice.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAfybxRxySu/
Chocolates with fruit fillings are traditional and sort of old-hat; not so, chocolate and fruit-infused beers. Enter 5 Rabbit Cerveceria’s chocolatey stout, which uses real pineapple puree and six different malts to produce a decadent, indulgent beer. Need a case to present to that special someone (totally cool if are that special someone)? Check out Louis Glunz Beer Inc.
72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout — Breckenridge Brewery
More of a chocolate purist? Breckenridge’s 72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout is made with real chocolate from Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Sound good? It’s also a limited release. Like the box of chocolates you try in vain to hide from family members every year, it probably won’t last long.
