3 QUICK AND EASY VALENTINE’S DAY COCKTAILS

* In partnership with Isle of Wight Distillery and Four Roses Bourbon.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and it looks like it’s going to be another date night at home for us (here in the UK). Whether you like to celebrate the day or not, I think it’s a good excuse to have a little ‘mini celebration’ with your other half or perhaps organise a Zoom call with your closest friends. We usually spend Valentine’s Day at home now. I can’t stand the set menus and sloppy service you get in restaurants on Valentine’s Day. I much prefer ordering a takeaway and some home-made cocktails.

As much as I love mixology, I don’t like to spend too much time preparing the cocktails. They need to be quick and easy to make (ideally using max. 4 different ingredients that I already have at home). I thought I’d share three cocktail recipes that will impress your partner/friends (or perhaps just you) this Valentine’s Day. They will make a great aperitif, but of course these cocktails can be more than just pre-dinner drinks. These cocktails will also work nicely with light snacks, like nuts or tapas.

1. F R E N C H  K I S S  ( W I T H  G I N )

I wanted to combine two of my favourite cocktails to create something really special. French 75 and French Kiss have been my go-to cocktails for years now.  The original French Kiss cocktail is usually made of sparkling wine and Chambord. I wanted to take the gin and the lemon juice from French 75 to complement the dry champagne. I used Mermaid Pink Gin, from the Isle of Wight distillery, in this cocktail which is slightly sweet (think of strawberries and summer fruit). It’s beautiful on its own and pairs particularly well with a Mediterranean tonic. It’s only slightly tinted though, so if you want a pink drink make sure you mix it with a pink tonic (or use frozen berries to give it some colour). My husband was super impressed with this cocktail by the way. He said it’s a rival for French 75 (and I couldn’t agree more).

Ingredients (single portion):

25 ml Mermaid Pink Gin
10 ml lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
10 ml Chambord
1 tsp sugar
6 ice cubes
Dry sparkling wine

Method:

Mix the pink (sweet) gin, lemon juice, Chambord, sugar and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well for about 10 seconds and strain the liquid into a champagne flute. Top it off with your favourite (dry) sparkling wine. Garnish with a strawberry and voilà!

2. C R A N B E R R Y  B O U R B O N  C O C K T A I L

Valentine’s Day just wouldn’t be the same without a pink or red cocktail, right? I’ve teamed up with Four Roses Bourbon to bring you this delicious bourbon cranberry cocktail. I don’t usually drink bourbon but this cocktail has totally converted me. It reminds me so much of Cosmopolitan (which I love). Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of Bourbon. Four Roses Bourbon is a very mellow and perfectly balanced (nothing like the Bourbon I’m used to). You can enjoy it straight up, on the rocks, or simply with a splash of your favorite mixer. This cocktail was inspired by the wonderful Dished Delish Blog. I reduced the amount of Bourbon though, but if you like your cocktails stronger feel free to adjust the measurements.

Ingredients (single portion):

20 ml Four Roses Bourbon
25 ml of cranberry juice
1 tbsp of simple syrup
Top it off with ginger beer
Garnish with 6-10 frozen cranberries

Method:

Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and add cranberry juice, bourbon and simple syrup. Shake well and pour the cocktail mixture into a martini glass and top if off with ginger beer. Garnish the cocktail with frozen cranberries.

3. S A L T Y  M O S C O W  M U L E

Moscow Mule is the ultimate winter cocktail thanks to its subtle spiciness (due to ginger beer). Most upmarket cocktails bars and fancy hotel lounges have this simple, but divine, cocktail on their drinks menu. Luckily it’s also super easy to recreate at home with only few simple  ingredients. This is an ideal Valentine’s Day cocktail for people who prefer a less of a girlie drink on this special day. I do realise that I’ve mentioned ginger beer twice in this post, but it’s such a perfect mixer for a winter tipple that I couldn’t resist. I used Mermaid Salt Vodka in this cocktail which is smooth and clean. If you’re looking for Valentine’s gift ideas, the Mermaid Miniature Gift Pack will make a lovely present for the cocktail lover in your life. By the way, you need to like ginger beer in order to like this cocktail (it’s pretty overpowering). I personally love it.

Ingredients (single portion):

25 ml Mermaid Salt Vodka
10 ml Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
Ginger Beer
6-8 ice cubes

Method:

Add the ice cubes, salted vodka and lime juice onto a copper mug (or any shorter cocktail glass). Fill the glass with ginger beer and stir really well. Garnish with mint leaves and lime. Enjoy in good company!

Happy Valentine’s Day x