Six easy cocktail recipes to celebrate Valentine’s Day

Look beyond just popping open a bottle of bubbly, or wrestling with a wine cork this year. As more people plan to celebrate an intimate Valentine’s day at home, skipping the chaos of crowded restaurants and bars, cocktails are an easy way to make a dinner at home memorable. We speak to experts across the country to source six recipes that are simple, but elegant, and designed to impress.

All recipes serve one.

Before you go on to add ice into your shakers, here are few tips from Vikas Kumar, Bar Manager, PCO Delhi.

• When it comes to mixing drinks at home, first ensure you have all the tools of the trade such as a shaker, jigger, bar spoon, fine strainer, etc.
• Ice is a key ingredient. Ensure you have good quality, clear ice for the drink. For shaking, you should have solid ice cubes.
• It’s also important to have good quality fresh and seasonal fruits and herbs. Make sure you create your own syrups at home or choose ones that are less synthetic. You can also make use of ingredients like honey, jaggery, maple, etc.
• Always refrigerate your vermouth, Campari, and Aperol as these are low-ABV (alcohol by volume) and tend to ferment once opened. It’s also important to refrigerate sugar-based liqueurs like Baileys, Kahlua, etc.

PCO or Pass Code Only is India’s first speakeasy-style bar with classic pre-prohibition and prohibition cocktails “Since we opened in 2012, we have been giving a contemporary touch to classic cocktails that our patrons are nostalgic for,” adds Vikas.

Chocolate Martini

Ingredients

Vodka – 60ml

Cold brew coffee – 45ml

Melted chocolate – 30 ml

Method

1. Pour chocolate syrup onto a shallow plate. Dip the rim of martini glasses into chocolate syrup. Drizzle some chocolate syrup along the inside of the glasses.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until thoroughly chilled or for about 20 seconds.

3. Serve cold.

La Vie En Rose

Ingredients

Gin – 60ml

Lime juice – 20ml

Sugar syrup – 15ml

Fresh pineapple juice – 20ml

Strawberries – 2, muddled

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until thoroughly chilled for about 20 seconds.

2. Serve cold

Recipes by Vikas Kumar.

Beyond the Horizon

Ingredients

White Rum – 60ml

Fresh pineapple juice – 30ml

Fresh lime – 20ml

Raw turmeric ginger honey – 15ml

Soda – 30ml

Thyme for garnish

For raw turmeric ginger honey

Honey – 300ml

Ginger Juice – 30ml

Water – 100ml

Turmeric powder or freshly grated raw turmeric – 1 barspoon

Mix all the ingredients until they blend well together.

Method

1. Take a wine glass, chill it with ice.

2. Into a cocktail shaker, pour all the ingredients. Mix well. Add ice to the shaker and shake well.

3. Strain the mixer into the chilled wine glass.

4. Garnish with a sprig of thyme and serve cold.

Strawberries and Sparkles

Ingredients

White Rum – 60ml

Fresh lime juice – 20ml

Strawberry syrup – 10ml

Grapefruit syrup – 10ml

Grapefruit soda – 90ml

Dried berries and edible flowers for garnish

Method

1. Take a highball glass and fill it up with ice.

2. Into a cocktail shaker, add all the ingredients except the soda. Stir the ingredients well for the ingredients to mix well.

3. Add ice to the shaker and give it a nice shake. Strain the mix into the glass using a fine strainer.

4. Add the soda and mix the drink well. Garnish it with a flower and some dried berries.

Recipes by Abhirup Bhattacharyya – Brand Ambassador, Maka Zai, Goa

Madikeri Mudslide

Ingredients

Vodka – 30ml

Fresh Expresso – 20ml

Baileys – 20ml

Kahlua – 20ml

Cinnamon syrup – 5 ml

Coffee Beans for garnish

Method

1. Shake the vodka, espresso, Baileys, Kahlua and cinnamon syrup together in a cocktail shaker.

2. Serve it into a coupe glass and garnish with the coffee beans.

Curry Leaf Negroni

Ingredients

Gin – 25ml

Sweet Vermouth – 25ml

Campari – 25ml

A tender twig of curry leaves for garnish

Method

1. Pour the Gin, Vermouth and Campari into a cocktail mixer with ice. Add in curry leaves and muddle it. Stir it well.

2. Strain into a tumbler and add some fresh ice.

3. Garnish with a tender twig of curry leaves and serve cold.

Recipes by Justin Dias – Bar Manager & Mixologist, RCB Bar & Cafe, Bengaluru