Spirit.Ed: Share A Little Love With These Tasty Valentine’s Day Cocktails

Valentine’s Day is under a week away and if you have a sweetie to share the day with, or just showing up for yourself, drinks can go a long way to enhancing the moment. Below, we have an exciting variety of cocktails for the lovers out there so that you can sip in style.

We open this V-Day cocktail showcase with a trio of clever cocktails from the minds behind Elysian Brewing. The Seattle-based brewery got its start in the mid-1990s, just as the microbreweries craze was at a zenith of sorts. Today, they offer a variety of tasty IPAs and a killer stout among other offerings.

By way of its Contact Trilogy lineup, Elysian Brewing’s trio of beer-tails are designed for the single, those in a relationship, and that really pesky one, it’s complicated. Let’s check them out below.

Full On Peachy (Single)

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Vodka

1 oz Peach Puree or Peach Juice

0.75 oz Lemon Juice

0.75 oz Simple Syrup

0.50 oz Cranberry Juice

Elysian Brewing Full Contact

Lime Wheel

Method:

Combine all ingredients then top with Elysian Brewing’s Full Contact and garnish with a lime wheel.

Altered Marg (In a Relationship)

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Tequila

1 oz Mango Puree or Mango Juice

0.75 oz Lime Juice

0.50 oz Simple Syrup

0.25 oz Falernum

Elysian Brewing Altered Contact

Lime Peel

Method:

Combine all ingredients then top with Elysian Brewing’s Altered Contact and garnish with a lime peel.

Hazy Day Afternoon (It’s Complicated)

Ingredients:

1.5 oz White Rum

0.50 oz Guava Juice

0.50 oz Pineapple Juice

0.50 oz Orange Juice

0.25 oz Lime Juice

0.25 oz Simple Syrup

Elysian Brewing Contact Haze

Orange Peel

Method:

Combine all ingredients then top with Elysian Brewing’s Contact Haze and garnish with an orange peel.

Fans of single malt Scotch whiskies know the name Glenfiddich It is the best-selling single-malt whisky in the world with a nice variety in age statements. The good folks at the distillery enlisted the expertise of Glenfiddich brand ambassador Kevin Canchola for a single-malt whisky beverage that might be just the thing you need if you’re single. Don’t get us wrong, some people prefer the single life, so let’s toast to that.

White Haute Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 part Glenfiddich 14

1 pinch sea salt

8 parts milk

8 parts white chocolate

Star anise (for garnish)

Method: Heat milk and white chocolate in a pot until melted. Add a pinch of sea salt. Pour into mug + add Glenfiddich 14. Garnish with star anise.

Let’s say you want to, ahem, spice up things. Well, Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum is where you start. Sometimes, being the third wheel can be a lot of fun.

Third Wheel

Ingredients:

2 parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

1/2 part dry curacao

1/2 part lemon juice

Method: Shake ingredients together with ice until chilled. Fine strain into coupe glass with half sugar rim. Garnish with orange peel.

Say you have the hots for someone, why not show them how much with this beauty from our friends in Iceland, Reyva Vodka? Check it out.

Flame of Love

Ingredients:

2 parts Reyka Vodka

1/4 part Fino Sherry

Method: Rinse a chilled martini glass with sherry and discard the excess. Flame 2 orange peels over the glass to coat the inside with the oils. Chill the vodka and strain into glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

Some of you might know how much I love Hendrick’s Gin, as it began my journey into the spirit and the wider world of classic cocktails. The Scottish distillery locked in with brand ambassador Mattias Horseman, who crafted the lovely Riveria Rose.

Riviera Rose

Ingredients:

2 parts Hendrick’s Gin

1 part Giffard Pamplemousse

½ part Apricot Liqueur

1 part fresh lime juice

½ part egg white

Method: Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. Then shake without ice, and strain into a coupe and garnish with a rose petal.

Monkey Shoulder was crafted to be mixed into cocktails, served in a highball, over ice, and even neat. This blended malt whisky stands out in mixed drinks, and this cocktail from brand ambassador Anna Mains is made for those who like to mix it up if you catch our drift.

Fronds with Benefits

Ingredients

1 ½ parts Monkey Shoulder

½ part green tea syrup

½ part pineapple juice

3 parts coconut water

Method: Shake, strain over ice in Collins glass. Garnish with pineapple fronds.

We’re almost sure that parties will be going down for Valentine’s Day Weekend, along with the big football game on the Sunday prior to Feb. 14. Instead of pining for love or forcing it, make this a celebration of friends, family, and various loved ones by serving this beautiful punch from Milagro.

Carpe Dia Punch

Ingredients:

6 Parts Milagro Anejo

3 Parts Hibiscus Tea

3 Parts Ginger Beer

3 Parts Fresh Lime Juice

1 Part Blackberry Syrup

Sage Leaves

Blackberries

Method: Pour all ingredients, except ginger beer, in a punch bowl over a block of ice. Top with ginger beer and stir intermittently. Garnish with blackberries and sage.

All of my close friends and drinking buddies know how much I enjoy the stuff that comes out of Four Roses Distillery. The award-winning Four Roses Small Batch makes up the base for four cocktails crafted by mixologist Natalie Migliarini, who runs the lifestyle page, Beautiful Booze. We’re going to post the links that’ll take you directly to the recipes on Four Rose’s website.

Strawberry Love

Old Fashioned Valentine

Strawberry Bourbon Smash

DeLeón Tequila is a relatively new player on the block with the business savvy Sean “Diddy” Combs and multinational beverages company Diageo going into joint ownership of the brand in 2013. It is made in Purísima del Rincón in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, and features Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo epxressions. For V-Day, DeLeón and Diddy want to help you bring on the passion with the DeLeón Pasión Martini.

DELEÓN PASIÓN MARTINI

1 ½ oz. – DeLeón Blanco Tequila

2 oz. – Flor de Jamaica (Hibiscus) Water

¾ oz. – Madagascar Vanilla Syrup

½ oz. – Fresh Lime Juice

3 Dashes – Hella Bitters

Garnish: Orchid Flower

Method: Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orchid.

Jose Cuervo is a favorite of mine when it comes to tequila, and they’ve put together a remedy for love in the form of a cocktail that will hopefully hit folkks pleasantly in the heart space.

Cupid Cuervo

Ingredients

1.5 oz Jose Cuervo® Tradicional® Plata Tequila

1 oz Italian aperitif

1 oz Blanc vermouth

1 Strawberry

1 Lime wedge

Glass: Rocks

Garnish: Orange twist with a heart punched out

Cocktail Preparation: Muddle the strawberry and lime wedge in a mixing glass. Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice. Stir, and strain into a rocks glass filled with one large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist with a heart punched out.

Hopefully one of these cocktails will be the centerpiece of a night of connection, reflection, and even affection.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

And, as always, sip safely and surely.

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Photo: Getty