Whether your guests are celebrating Valentine’s, Galentine’s, Palentine’s or Anti-Valentine’s Day, Wednesday of next week is a big bar and restaurant day. There’s a lot of pressure on those celebrating February 14, but there’s even more pressure on operators to execute a flawless Valentine’s Day.
Well, we’re here to help alleviate some of that pressure.
Read this: This Valentine’s Day Bar Promotion Sets Guests’ Hearts Aflutter
Below you’ll find over two dozen cocktail recipes that run the gamut of base ingredients: gin, vodka, tequila, whiskey… There are recipes here for every type of bar, restaurant and guest. You have enough on your plate making sure your guests have the perfect evening—you shouldn’t have to worry about your Valentine’s Day menu.
Cheers!
Love, Stella
Recipe and image courtesy of Stella Rosa
- Stella Rosa Rosso
- Blood orange slices
- Rosemary sprig to garnish
Add blood orange slices to a glass of ice. Fill with Stella Rosa Rosso and garnish with a rosemary sprig.
Brockmans Purple Spring
Recipe and image courtesy of Brockmans Gin
- 1 oz. Brockmans Gin
- 0.75 oz. Beetroot juice
- 4 oz. Wild berry cider
- Thin slice of dehydrated beetroot to garnish
- Edible flowers to garnish
Combine Brockmans Gin and beetroot juice in a shaker with ice. Strain into a stemmed Copa glass (bowl glass) filled with ice. Top with wild berry cider and give it a gentle stir. Garnish with a very thin slice of dehydrated beetroot and edible flowers.
Brockmans Frosé
Recipe and image courtesy of Brockmans Gin
- 1 oz. Brockmans Gin
- 0.5 oz. Rose liqueur
- 1 Squeeze fresh lemon juice
- 2 oz. Sweet rosé wine
- Crushed ice
- Sugared or fresh rose petals to garnish
Combine Brockmans Gin, rose liqueur, lemon juice and rosé wine in a shaker with ice. Strain contents into a large stemmed wine glass filled with crushed ice. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until the ice is crushed and scoop into a large stemmed wine glass. Garnish with sugared or fresh rose petals.
Forbidden Fruit
Recipe by Will Benedetto, cocktail curator, Parker & Quinn; Image from Parker & Quinn
- 2 oz. The Botanist Gin
- 1.5 oz. PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
- 0.75 oz. Lemon
- 0.75 oz. Simple syrup
- 2-3 dashes Tiki bitters
- Lemon peels to garnish (extra points for curling them into heart shapes
Recipe makes two servings. Mix all of the ingredients into a shaker and shake. Pour the liquid evenly into two glasses and serve with a fine lemon peel.
The Love Nest
Recipe and image courtesy of Absolut Vodka
- 2 parts Absolut Mandarin
- 4 parts Blood orange soda
- Chili threads to garnish
- Message hearts candy to garnish
Add ice to a highball and add vodka. Top with blood orange soda. Garnish with chili threads and message hearts candy.
Bubble Bouquet
Recipe and image courtesy of Absolut Vodka
- 1.5 parts Absolut Original
- 0.5 parts Simple syrup
- 1-2 drops Rose water
- Champagne to top
- Rose petals to garnish
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a flute and top with Champagne.
Love Buzz
Recipe and image courtesy of Absolut Vodka
- 1.5 parts Absolut Original
- 0.5 part Crème de cacao
- 1 part Raspberry puree
- 1 part Room-temperature espresso
- Chocolate-raspberry tuile to garnish
Shake all ingredients and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a chocolate-raspberry tuile.
Swedish Airmail
Recipe from Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine; Image courtesy of Elyx Vodka
- 4 dashes Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters
- 1.5 oz. Absolut Elyx Vodka
- 0.75 oz. Fresh lemon juice
- 0.85 oz. Honey syrup
- 2.5 oz. Chandon Brut to top
- Lemon spiral to garnish
- Edible viola flower to garnish
Add all ingredients except for sparkling wine to a mixing tin. Add ice and shake vigorously. Add sparkling wine to mixing tin, double strain into Champagne flute, and garnish with lemon spiral and edible viola flower.
Nellie Blossom
Recipe from Blossom Cocktail Lounge; Image courtesy of Grey Goose Vodka
- 2 dashes Orange bitters
- 1.5 oz. Grey Goose Vodka
- 1 oz. Tazo Cherry Blossom Tea
- 0.5 oz. Pomegranate juice
- 0.5 oz. Fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 oz. Rose syrup (see note)
- 1 oz. Chandon Brut to top
- Edible flower to garnish
- Lemon peel to garnish
Add all ingredients except for sparkling wine into a mixing tin. Add ice and shake vigorously. Add sparkling wine to mixing tin and double strain into a Nick & Nora Martini coupe. Garnish with edible flower and lemon peel.
For the rose syrup:
Add 16 oz. water, 16 oz. sugar, 1 dozen rose petals and 1 teaspoon rose blossom water to a saucepan and heat on low for 20 minutes. Strain into a bottle or other clean container.
The Siren
Recipe by Ingi R. Sigurdsson; Image courtesy of Reyka Vodka
- 1.5 oz. Fresh lemon juice
- 1 oz. Simple syrup
- 1 oz. St-Germain
- 3 oz. Reyka Vodka
- 6 oz. Champagne
- 2 Cranberry juice ice cubes
- 2 Grapefruit juice cubes
- 2 Edible flower ice cubes
Combine all ingredients with ice except Champagne in a cocktail shaker. Shake, strain into Bordeaux or Burgundy wine glass with juice and flower ice cubes, top with Champagne, and serve.
For juice ice cubes:
Freeze juice from concentrate in 1x1 molds.
For flower ice cubes:
- 4 liters Water
- 24 oz. simple syrup
- 10 droppers Orange flower water
- 10 droppers Rose water
- Sonia Orchid
Stir to combine all ingredients and freeze in 1x1 molds with Sonia Orchid.
Dragon Heart
Recipe by Josh Cameron, head bartender, Boulton & Watt; Image by Ryan Gleason
- 1.5 oz. Reyka Vodka
- 0.5 oz. Amaro Montenegro
- 0.75 oz. Hibiscus syrup
- 0.75 oz. Lemon
- 3 or 4 Blackberries
- Mint sprig to garnish
Muddle the blackberries with the Montenegro before adding the remaining ingredients into a shaker. Shake well and double strain the liquid into a chalice or goblet over crushed ice. Garnish with mint and get ready to impress your valentine!
Red Tempest
Recipe and image courtesy of Crystal Head Vodka
- 1.5 oz. Crystal Head Vodka
- 0.5 oz. Amaretto
- 1 oz. Fresh orange juice
- 2 oz. Soda
- 0.5 oz. Monin Wildberry Purѐe
- 0.25 oz. Monin Exotic Citrus Syrup
- 2 Fresh rosemary sprigs (1 to build cocktail, 1 to garnish)
- Blackberries to garnish
Stir Crystal Head, Monin Wildberry Purѐe, Amaretto, orange juice, and Monin Exotic Citrus in shaker until all ingredients have dissolved. Add ice and a sprig of rosemary to shaker. Shake well then strain into a cocktail glass with ice. Top with soda. Skewer blackberries on to a sprig of fresh rosemary for garnish.
Deep Love
Recipe courtesy of Midnights in Brooklyn, NY; Image courtesy of Bumbu
- 60mL Bumbu
- 30mL Blood orange purée
- 2 dashes Chocolate bitters
- Blueberries to garnish
- Belaire Rosé to top
Shake all ingredients except blueberries and Belaire Rosé together. Pour into a wine glass over crushed ice, layer with blueberries, and top with Belaire Rosé.
Rooibos Toddy
Image and recipe courtesy of FACUNDO Rum Collection
- 1 part FACUNDO EXIMO Rum
- 1.5 parts Hot rooibos tea
- 0.25 part Ginger syrup
- 0.25 part HUM Liqueur
- Lemon wedge or wheel to garnish
Combine ingredients in a Hot Toddy Glass. Stir gently until syrups are properly diluted. Garnish with a lemon wedge or wheel.
HAVANA Café
Image and recipe courtesy of HAVANA CLUB Rum
- 2 parts Havana Club® Añejo Clásico Rum
- 0.25 parts Demerara sugar
- 0.75 parts MARTINI & ROSSI® Rosso vermouth
- 0.5 parts Cold brew coffee
- Lemon twist to garnish
Stir all ingredients with plenty of ice until very cold. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
Sailor Jerry Cherry
Recipe and image courtesy of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
- 1.5 parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
- 3 parts Q Drinks Ginger Beer
- 1 Cherry to garnish
- 2 dashes Cherry bitters
Build Sailor Jerry and Q Ginger Beer over ice. Top with dashes of cherry bitters. Garnish with a cherry.
White Manhattan
Recipe and image courtesy of Hudson Whiskey
- 2 parts Hudson New York Corn Whiskey
- 1 part Lillet Blanc
- 3 dashes Orange bitters
- Lemon peel to garnish
Stir ingredients 50 times with chunk ice to chill and dilute properly. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.
Kiss Me, Cocoa
Recipe by Pamela Wiznitzer of Seamstress NYC; Image courtesy of Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur
- 1 oz. Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur
- 0.5 oz. Crème de cacao
- 1.5 oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
- 0.75 oz. Ancho Reyes
- Cocoa powder to rim
- Cayenne to rim
- Sugar to rim
Pour over ice and garnish the rim of the glass with cocoa powder, cayenne and sugar.
Strawberry Mamie Taylor
Recipe by Giuseppe Gonzalez of Suffolk Arms in NYC; Image courtesy of Monkey Shoulder
- 2 parts Monkey Shoulder
- 0.5 parts Lemon juice
- 0.75 parts Ginger syrup
- 0.25 parts Strawberry puree
Shake ingredients, pour into glass and top with soda.
Jalisco Fashion
Recipe from Libre Mexican Cantina in Las Vegas; Image courtesy of Casamigos Tequila
- 2 dashes Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 oz. Casamigos Reposado Tequila
- 0.25 oz. Agave syrup
- Orange peel to garnish
Add ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir, then strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
Smoke & Flowers
Recipe and image courtesy of Montelobos Mezcal
- 7.5 parts Montelobos Mezcal
- 2.5 parts St-Germain
- 5 parts Strawberry puree (wash strawberries and blend in a blender)
- 3.75 parts Lemon juice
- 2.5 parts Simple syrup
- Strawberry slices to garnish
- Lemon slices to garnish
Recipe makes five servings. Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and stir together vigorously. Add ice cubes when ready to serve. Garnish with strawberry and lemon slices.
Smoking Rose Paloma
Recipe by Ashley Conway; Image courtesy of Craft and Cocktails
- 5 oz. Q Drinks Grapefruit Soda
- 2 oz. Mezcal
- 0.75 oz. Fresh lime juice
- 0.5 oz. Rose simple syrup (see note)
- Grapefruit slice to garnish
- Rose petals to garnish
Place glass in freezer. Add all liquid ingredients except Q Drinks Grapefruit Soda into a shaker. Shake well to help dilute the cocktail a bit since the ice in the glass won’t melt as fast. Remove the glass from the freezer. Strain into the glass. Top with the Grapefruit Soda and stir. Garnish with grapefruit slice.
For the flower ice:
Fill a glass one-quarter of the way with water. Add rose petals. Prop on its side in the freezer, making sure it doesn’t spill. Let freeze completely before using. This is an optional step—if you are looking to make a drink ASAP (we all have those days), just add regular ice to the glass. But if you do take the time for this step, it makes one pretty cocktail!
Breakfast in Bed
Recipe by Natasha David; Image courtesy of Nitecap
- 2 oz. Carpano Antica Formula
- 0.75 oz. Lemon juice
- 0.5 oz. Simple syrup
- 1 tsp. Brancamenta
- 1 bar spoon Orange marmalade
- Mint bouquet to garnish
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into double rocks glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a lavish mint bouquet.
Mixed Berry Sangria
Recipe by Vance Henderson, Drambuie ambassador; Image courtesy of Drambuie
- 3 parts Drambuie
- 1 part Triple sec
- 1 cup White wine (Chardonnay is perfect)
- 1 part Orange juice
- 1 part Fresh lime luice
- 1 part Honey
- 2 cups Frozen berries
- 10 dashes Cherry bitters
- Skewered berries to garnish
- Basil sprig to garnish
Add all Ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with skewered berries with basil sprig.
Sayonara Nakatomi
Recipe and image from Hot Sauce at QT Melbourne
- 1 oz. Midori
- 1 oz. Sekitoba Imo shochu
- 1 oz. Hitachino Nest White Ale
- 1 oz. Aloe vera juice
- 0.75 oz. Candied orange syrup
- 0.5 oz Yuzu juice
- Edible flower to garnish
Add all ingredients to a tin, add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a chilled coupette. Garnish with edible flower.