Valentine's Day cocktails
Valentine's Day, on 14 February, is a night for something a little special: a glass of fizz, a pink drink in a coupe, or a rich one to go with pudding.
Most of these take five minutes, and every recipe scales to two with the drinks counter on the page.
22 recipes · page 1 of 2
Easy romantic cocktails to make at home
The simplest drinks for two need no shaker. A Rossini is about 50 ml of sieved strawberry purée topped with 100 ml of Prosecco. A Kir royale is 15 ml of crème de cassis under 120 ml of Champagne or dry sparkling wine. Both are pink, both take about a minute, and neither is strong.
If you want something shaken, the French martini is pink, fruity and frothy: 40 ml vodka, 10 ml raspberry liqueur and 40 ml pineapple juice, shaken hard. Keep it to one shaken drink, so you spend the evening at the table.
For an alcohol-free option that still feels special, the pomegranate sparkler is 60 ml pomegranate juice, 20 ml orange juice and 80 ml alcohol-free sparkling wine in a flute. Serve it in the same glass as the cocktails.
What to drink with dessert
Choose something small and rich, or something cold and light. The Chocolate Martini is 40 ml vodka, 30 ml dark crème de cacao and 20 ml double cream, shaken hard. A Brandy Alexander uses equal parts of brandy, dark crème de cacao and double cream, with nutmeg on top. Both are sweet and filling, so pour them into small glasses.
At the end of a heavy meal, the Sgroppino is lemon sorbet whisked with vodka and Prosecco. The recipe makes two glasses, and it works in place of pudding.
How to avoid shaking all evening
Do the work before your guest sits down. Blend and sieve the strawberries for the Rossini a few hours ahead and keep the purée covered in the fridge, then use it the same day. Chill the glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes, and measure the spirits for each drink into a small jug or glass.
Squeeze lime juice only just before you shake, because it loses its brightness after a few hours. Open the sparkling wine when you are ready to pour. The Sgroppino and the Frozen Strawberry Margarita should be made at the last minute, as both separate or melt if they sit.
Pace the evening too. Eat as you drink, keep water on the table, and remember that cold, sweet drinks hide the alcohol.
Cocktails for Galentine's Day
Galentine's Day falls on 13 February and is a night for friends. The aim is to serve several people without one person stuck at the shaker. Build drinks in the glass: a Rossini takes a minute once the purée is made, and the Pink Gin and Tonic is 50 ml gin and 150 ml tonic over ice with sliced strawberries.
For a bigger group, the party cocktails page has jug and punch recipes. Make an alcohol-free jug too, such as raspberry lemonade, so everyone has something to pour.
Questions people ask
What is a romantic cocktail?
A romantic cocktail is a drink that suits a slow evening for two: usually pink, red or creamy, served in a pretty glass and easy to sip. Fizzy drinks such as the Rossini and Kir royale are classic choices, and rich ones such as the Chocolate Martini suit dessert.
What are easy Valentine's cocktails to make at home?
The easiest Valentine's cocktails are built in the glass with no shaker: a Rossini, a Kir royale or a Bellini. Each takes about a minute and needs only chilled fizz and one other ingredient. If you want a shaken drink, the French martini and Cosmopolitan are quick and pink.
What cocktail goes well with dessert?
A small, rich drink such as a Chocolate Martini or Brandy Alexander works alongside dessert or instead of it. The Sgroppino, made with lemon sorbet, vodka and Prosecco, suits a lighter pudding. Serve them in small glasses, because they are sweet and filling.
Can you make Valentine's cocktails ahead of time?
You can prepare the parts but not the finished drink. Make fruit purée a few hours early and keep it covered in the fridge, chill the glasses and measure the spirits. Add fizz at the last moment, and make a Sgroppino or frozen drink just before serving.
What is a good alcohol-free Valentine's drink?
A good alcohol-free Valentine's drink is a pomegranate sparkler or a Virgin Bellini, both made with alcohol-free sparkling wine in a flute. The mocktails page has more, including a Virgin cosmopolitan, which looks like the real thing in a martini glass.
What cocktails work for a Galentine's night with friends?
Choose drinks that serve a group without much shaking. Build Pink Gin and Tonics or Rossinis in the glass, or blend a Frozen Strawberry Margarita or Strawberry Daiquiri, which each make two drinks. Add a jug of alcohol-free raspberry lemonade, and put water on the table.