9 Valentine’s Day cocktail recipes to make for an at-home date night

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Valentine’s Day is all about the romantic things in life — flowers, chocolate, and, for those of us who enjoy a drink, Champagne or cocktails.

An elevated cocktail or glass of wine can amplify any dining experience, whether you’re at a restaurant or eating at your own kitchen table. If you’re opting for an at-home Valentine’s Day celebration this year, the cocktail du jour should not be overlooked.

To provide some inspiration outside the basic bottle of wine, here are 9 Valentine’s Day cocktail recipes to amp up your at-home date night. It should leave your sweetie more than impressed, even if you’re just ordering in pizza and drinking on the couch.

Skrewball Peanut Butter & Jealous

combines with raspberry liqueur for a peanut butter and jelly vibe in a drink. This cheeky cocktail is perfect as an after-dinner treat for its richness.

Ingredients

1.5 oz. Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey

.75 oz raspberry liqueur

1 oz. Half & half

Directions: Shake ingredients vigorously, double strain and pour into a coupe glass. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Fraser & Thompson For My Honey

combines with citrus fruits and honey simple syrup for an instant-classic cocktail. The whiskey is backed by Michael Bublé, so his music is perfect to pair with this romantic drink.

Ingredients

For honey simple syrup:

½ cup honey

½ cup water

For the cocktail:

1 oz. Fraser & Thompson North American Whiskey

1 oz. Cointreau

1.5 oz. Honey simple syrup

1.5 oz. Orange juice

.5 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 dashes of bitters

Brandied cherries

Directions: For the simple syrup, combine the honey and water in a small saucepan. Bring to just a simmer, then remove from heat and let cool. Store in fridge. For the cocktail, whisk all the ingredients, except the cherries, in a bowl (or use a cocktail shaker filled with ice). Pour over ice. Add cherries.

Celosa Rose Margarita

Margaritas are always a fan-favorite drink, and recipe is even more fitting for Valentine’s Day with its soft pink tequila. The recipe adds rose water and hibiscus tea for even more fitting, and floral, touches.

Ingredients

1.5 oz. Celosa Tequila

1 oz. hibiscus tea

.75 oz. Lime juice

.5 oz agave nectar

2 dashes rose water

Mint to garnish

Directions: Shake all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and strain. Serve over ice and garnish with mint.

Gray Whale Valentine Cheers

Gin lovers will appreciate this fruity take on a French 75 cocktail. The recipe features pear juice for a bright addition to the gin, Prosecco and lemon courtesy of

Ingredients

1.5 parts Gray Whale Gin

1 part pear juice

½ part simple syrup

½ part fresh lemon juice

3 parts Josh Prosecco

Green grapes and rosemary sprig for garnish

Directions: Lightly muddle green grapes into a cocktail shaker, saving 2 for garnish. Combine gin, pear juice, simple syrup and lemon juice into the shaker over ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a Champagne flute and top with Josh Prosecco. Garnish with rosemary sprig skewered with grapes.

Italicus and Savoia’s Julietta & Romeo

The Julietta & Romeo cocktail combines two Italian aperitivos into one sophisticated sip. and Savoia Americano are the anchor ingredients of this simple drink.

Ingredients

1.25 oz Savoia Americano

.5 oz. Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto

1.5 oz. Prosecco

Directions: Pour the Savoia and Italicus into a tumbler or highball glass. Top with Prosseco. Garnish with gold dust and rose petals.

Starward Whisky Old Fashioned Sweetheart

romantic take on an Old Fashioned relies on classic flavors of chocolate and cherry. It’s a stiff drink with a sweet side, making it a great Valentine’s Day nightcap.

Ingredients

2 oz. Starward Nova Single Malt Whisky

.25 oz. Maple syrup

2 dashes of chocolate bitters

Garnish with Luxardo cherry

Directions: Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Pour over fresh ice into a large rocks glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Ketel One’s Kinky Coupe

took a trip to the spicy side for this Valentine’s Day cocktail. Ancho Reyes chile liqueur and Piquillo pepper syrup turn up the heat in this unassuming drink.

Ingredients.

1.5 oz. Ketel One vodka

.5 oz. Ancho Reyes

.5 oz Piquillo pepper syrup

.75 oz. Lemon

Directions: Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Steak piquillo powder on the side of the glass to serve.

Mount Gay Down Thyme

Another refreshing sip for Valentine’s Day comes from rum. This drink gets a festive color from raspberry syrup that adds to its tart flavor.

Ingredients

1.5 oz. Mount Gay Eclipse

.5 oz. Lemon juice

.5 oz. Raspberry syrup

4 oz. Soda

Directions: For raspberry syrup: Muddle raspberries into simple syrup and strain. For cocktail: Add all ingredients except soda into the glass and stir. Add ice, finish with soda and garnish with raspberry and/or thyme.

Hiatus Tequila Cirus Serenade

Another tequila option that features a hint of floral flavor for Valentine’s Day comes from . Elderflower liqueur adds dimension to the grapefruit-heavy cocktail.

Ingredients

2 oz. Hiatus Tequila

1 oz. Grapefruit juice

.5 oz. Elderflower liqueur

.5 oz. Simple syrup

Grapefruit twist for garnish

Directions: Squeeze fresh grapefruit juice. In a shaker filled with ice, combine tequila, grapefruit juice, elderflower liqueur and simple syrup. Shake the ingredients vigorously for about 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the mixture into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with grapefruit twist. Optional: Top with sparkling water.

Alex Darus writes about food, dining and drinking for check out her latest posts . You can reach her with story ideas at . Follow her on Instagram @alex_darus.

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