Don’t forget today is Valentine’s Day – so if you overlooked the traditional flowers, cards and chocolates, make amends tonight.
Take your beloved on a world tour with these romantically-inclined cocktails that draw their inspiration from the four corners of the globe. What’s more, they taste just as good any other day of the year!
American Raspberry Chocolate Kiss
Ingredients
- 1/4 cupmint syrup plus more for rim
- 3 chocolate cookies, finely crushed
- 10 raspberries
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 2 tablespoons cranberry juice
- Ice cubes
Directions
- Fill a shallow dish with enough simple syrup to just cover the bottom. Place crushed cookies into another shallow dish. Invert a martini glass into simple syrup and then immediately into crushed cookies to coat the rim of the glass.
- Place raspberries in a cocktail shaker; crush with a muddler. Add simple syrup and muddle again. Add vodka and cranberry juice; fill shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled. Strain into prepared martini glass. Serve immediately.
With thanks to www.marthastewart.com
French Kiss
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Gin
- 3/4 oz. St. Germain
- 1/4 oz. Aperol
- 1/4 oz. Fresh lemon juice
- Bottle Martini sparkling rosé
- Orange
- Raspberries
Directions
- Shake first four ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
- Top with Martini sparkling rosé and garnish with an orange twist and a handful of raspberries.
From Russia with Love
Ingredients
- 1 oz Dark Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
- 1 oz Chambord
- Bottle of champagne
- Coco nibs for garnish, optional
Directions
- In a Champagne flute, pour the Godiva and the Chambord. Top with chilled Champagne.
- Sprinkle on a couple of nibs if you like.
With thanks to www.thekitchn.com
The Milanese G&T
Ingredients
- 25ml Campari
- 25ml gin
- Tonic water
- Fresh lime
Directions
- Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the Campari and gin.
- Top up with tonic water and add a squeeze of fresh lime and garnish with a lime wedge.
With thanks to www.foodepedia.co.uk
Cotswold Apple & Blackberry Crumble
Ingredients
- 8 Blackberries
- 45ml Cotswolds Dry Gin
- 15ml Cinnamon Liqueur
- 5ml Lime juice
- 50ml Apple Juice
- 8ml Orgeat (almond syrup)
Directions
- Mash 8 blackberries in a glass, fill with ice and add all the other ingredients.
- Shake and strain into a martini glass and serve.
With thanks to www.cotswolddistillery.com
German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- Ice cubes
- 60ml citrus vodka
- 60ml hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico
- 1 fresh lemon wedge
- 1 tsp sugar
Directions
1) Fill a shaker with ice. Add the vodka and hazelnut liqueur and shake to combine.
2) Dip the lemon wedge into the sugar. Strain the vodka and hazelnut liqueur into a snifter or lowball glass.
3) Bite lemon with sugar, then drink from the snifter. Swallow, then exhale. Tastes just like German chocolate cake.
With thanks to Guy Fieri and www.foodnetwork.co.uk
Japanese Strawberry Sake Cocktail
Ingredients
- 100ml ginjo or daiginjo sake
• 1/2 teaspoon yuzu juice
• 8 fresh strawberries
• 1 1/2 tbsp white sugar
• ice cubes for chilling
• 2 extra strawberries for garnish
Directions
- Place the sake, strawberries, yuzu juice and sugar into a cocktail shaker, or into a large container with a lid if you don’t have a cocktail shaker. Mash everything together with the end of a rolling pin to muddle the mixture.
- Fill the cocktail shaker/container 3/4 of the way with ice cubes, then place the lid onto it.
- Shake cocktail shaker/container vigorously for 10 seconds, or until the outside feels ice cold.
- Using the strainer attachment or a sieve, strain the mixture evenly into two martini glasses. Garnish with a strawberry and serve.
With thanks to www.japancentre.com
