Wow your significant other with these easy-to-order and just as easy-to-create sweet cocktails.
by Melissa L Kauffman

Valentine’s Day is the ultimate date night, no matter if you spend it with a new love, old love or prefer to celebrate SAD (Single Awareness Day) with a group of friends. Whether you stay in or go out, why not toast this day that celebrates love and romance with one of these fun and flirty drinks. They might be the perfect touch to make it a night to remember.

Red Wine Sangria

Sweet and easy, Sangria makes the perfect date-night beverage. The Romans drank this wine infused with fruit back in 300 BC, although Americans didn’t discover it’s tasty goodness until the 1964 World Fair. The classic Spanish red Sangria is made of light red wine, club soda, sugar and brandy plus some slices of orange, lime and lemon. However, there are many variations of this fruit concoction. If berries are more to your liking, try the Black Berry Sangria found on Hennessy website: hennessy.com/us/cocktails/black-berry-sangria/

A Passionate Affair

Like the idea of a fruity cocktail but want something that sounds a bit more romantic? Try Grey Goose’s A Passionate Affair. The easy-to-make cocktail centers around orange flavored vodka mixed in with cranberry and fresh lime juice. Add simple sugar syrup along with passion fruit and raspberries, and you have a drink that says, “Be Mine.”

Espresso Martini

If your one true love is more of a coffee drinker, then you may want to wake her up with oh-so-good expresso martini. This martini, that’s not really technically a martini, is certainly not as old as Sangria, but rather was concocted in the ’80s by London bartender Dick Bradsel. Kahlua and espresso lovers will rejoice at the joining of these two great tastes. Add in some vodka and simple sugar and you’ve got the perfect Valentine’s Day greeting.
kahlua.com/us/drinks/classic/espresso-martini/

Cherry on Top

Nothing says sexy quite like the scene where Audrey Horne (played by Sherilyn Fenn) shows off her ability to tie a cherry stem with her tongue when trying to get a job as a hostess at One Eyed Jacks in the ‘90s cult classic “Twin Peaks.” One of the most popular cocktail garnishes, Maraschino cherries are loved for sweet, candy like flavor, plus they have the added bonus of the stems intact. If you are looking to impress your date with your cherry stem twisting skills, any number of popular cocktails will include the maraschino cherry. However, if you are dining in, try Food and Wine’s Cherry on Top cocktail.

Scarlet O’Hara

Named after the heroine of one of the most popular love stories ever told, this scarlet drink is just as southern as Gone with the Wind. The two main characters are Southern Comfort whiskey and cranberry juice, mixed in with some lime. You can find this cocktail recipe in books and websites about southern cocktails or at — where else — SouthernComfort.com.

French 75

Looking for a little champagne cocktail on the 14th? You’ll find French 75 at a little bar called Rick’s in a little movie called Casablanca. Named after a French field artillery gun used in World War I, this oldie but a goodie cocktail mixes champagne with lemon juice, dry gin and superfine sugar. Whip up some nibbles, put on Casablanca and serve up some French 75, I guarantee you one heck of a Valentine’s Day. Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.

Razzle Dazzle

Hopefully, you’ll have a full night planned for Valentine’s Day. Why don’t you start the evening off with a mocktail, especially if you’ll be doing all the driving? Mocktails no longer take a backseat to their cocktail cousins, and you can find recipes galore in books, magazines, and websites. One popular component to a mocktail is seltzer water, which gives the drink a little fun kick. Try Vintage Seltzer’s Razzle Dazzle, a delightful blend of raspberries, pomegranate juice, agave nectar along with either cherry or pomegranate seltzer. This is the perfect Valentine’s day drink, whether you’re celebrating with a new love or forever love.

Editor and writer Melissa Kauffman loves to write about all kinds of lifestyle topics from her home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Follow me on Twitter @tielgirl.