The Best Valentine's Day Cocktails | Wine Enthusiast
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20 Rose-Hued Valentine’s Day Cocktails

Sparkling wine has long been the beverage of choice for celebrating Valentine’s Day. Though it may seem odd to many imbibers, not everyone loves bubbles. In fact, there are numerous message boards populated with Champagne dissenters. “I hate it,” says one opinionated Redditor. “Most of it tastes like cheap white wine gone through a soda streamer.”

Though we agree to disagree (respectfully, of course), for those seeking to plan the most romantic Valentine’s Day ever, we’d like to offer an alternative to the effervescent norm: cocktails. The following beverages, which range in color from delicate blush to blood red (with one chocolate concoction thrown into the mix), have romance written all over them thanks to pretty presentations and complex flavor profiles. (Because what relationship isn’t complex?)

Ready to start shaking? Let’s go.

Blood Orange Margarita

Blood Orange Margarita
Photography by Ali Redmond

Incite feelings of ardor in the margarita-lover in your life with this ruby red-hued riff on the classic. This stunning drink gets an infusion of drama thanks to vivid blood orange juice. The sweet-and-sour fruit flavors are complemented with silver tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and agave nectar, making for a well-balanced drink that is sure to impress.

Get the Recipe: Blood Orange Margarita

Barbie Cocktail

Barbie Cocktail in a barbie themed environment
Photography by Ali Redmond

Is the feminist in your life bummed over Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s recent Oscar snubs? Celebrate your love as well as the groundbreaking box-office smash—it was the highest-grossing film of the year—with this Barbie-themed cocktail created by Jacy Topps, itself an ode to self-actualization and all things pink. The playful and sophisticated drink combines delicate rose petal-infused gin with floral elderflower liqueur, lemon and cranberry juice to deepen the drink’s blush hue, along with just a touch of sparkling wine for a hint of effervescence.

Get the Recipe: Barbie Cocktail

Americano Cocktail

Americano cocktail
Getty Images

This Italian classic balances bitter and sweet flavors without the booziness of similar drinks. Bright red in hue, it combines sweet vermouth, a bitter aperitivo or digestivo and sparkling water. It’s essentially a lower-ABV version of a Negroni, with the bitter bubbliness of an Aperol spritz (sans the sparkling wine).

Get the Recipe: Americano Cocktail


Perfect Manhattan

Perfect Martini from Saffron Nola
Image Courtesy of Denny Culbert

This pre-Prohibition stalwart, currently in the midst of a resurgence, gets its reddish hue from a 50-50 mix of sweet and dry vermouth. Though there are countless variations, this classic recipe features a bourbon base with a couple dashes of bitters and a bourbon-infused cherry.

Get the Recipe: Perfect Manhattan

Red Wine Hot Chocolate

Red Wine Hot Chocolate
Photography by Ali Redmond

The only drink on this list without a crimson hue, this odd-sounding concoction has been making the rounds on social media this winter. It’s a cozy number, combining creamy hot chocolate with spiced mulled wine. The warmth and presence of chocolate (and red wine, of course) make it an ideal after V-Day drink in our humble opinion.

Get the Recipe: Red Wine Hot Chocolate

The Midnight Sun Dance

cocktail with strawberry and orange garnish
Photo by Heami Lee

This blood-red cocktail, dreamed up by cocktail maven Fanny Chu, was inspired by the few weeks of summer when the sun never sets above the Arctic Circle. A marriage of vermouth, Sherry, aged rum and dry sparkling wine, this festive drink gets a sweet and acidic lift from strawberry preserves.

Get the Recipe: The Midnight Sun Dance

Strawberry Daiquiri

Strawberry Daiquiri recipe
Photo by Tom Arena

Forget those slushy, overly sweet strawberry daiquiris of yore. This rose-hued, grown-up version gets a lift from bitter Fernet and earthy mezcal.

Get the Recipe: A Modern Take on the Strawberry Daiquiri

The Mad About You Cocktail

A photo of the Mad About You Cocktail
The Mad About You Cocktail / Photo by Tom Arena

Opposites attract in this unlikely drink, which throws together bourbon and Madeira wine syrup to excellent effect. Its bright red color makes this moody delight perfect for sipping with a special someone.

Get the Recipe: Bourbon and Madeira Make the Ultimate Whiskey Sour

The Classic Pink Lady

Pink Lady Cocktail on a glass table next to a green couch
Getty Images

Grenadine is what makes the Pink Lady its iconic shade of pink, but gin and applejack deliver the drink’s one-two punch. The addition of one egg white delivers its characteristic foam.

Get the Recipe: The Classic Pink Lady Cocktail Recipe

Rosé French 75

Clink Pink Rosé French 75
Photo by Meg Baggott

This pretty-in-pink rosé-based cocktail is bubbly, refreshing and perfect for a Valentine’s Day brunch.

Get the Recipe: A French 75 Cocktail with a Rosé Twist

Bloody Jasmine

Bright pink cocktail in a coupe glass
Bloody Jasmine Cocktail / Photo courtesy of Four Pillars Gin

Bartender Sam Ng is responsible for this ruby-hued sipper, which balances the bite of its bitter Campari and lemon juice with Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin, an Australian dry gin distilled with juice from Shiraz grapes.

Get the Recipe: Bloody Jasmine Cocktail

Mulled Rosé with Ginger and Grapefruit

mulled rose with ginger and grapefruit
Photo by Meg Baggott / Styling by Dylan Garret

Feeling chilled this V-Day? Warm up with this steaming treat, which recruits a plethora of pink ingredients, including dry rosé wine, pink peppercorns and grapefruit.

Get the Recipe: Mulled Rosé with Ginger and Grapefruit

Hibiscus Sangria

Two glaasses of hibiscus sangria
Photo by Meg Baggott

This vibrantly-colored drink, already red from two bottles’ worth of red wine, gets an additional colorful boost from flor de Jamaica, a species of hibiscus used to make a strikingly red infusion with a rich citrus flavor. Meanwhile, blanco tequila and triple sec ensure this sangria delivers a solid kick.

Get the Recipe: Hibiscus Sangria (Sangria de Jamaica)

A Cosmopolitan Cocktail Perfect for Wine Lovers

Cosmopolitan cocktail with wine
Photo by Penny De Los Santos

The addition of off-dry Riesling puts a romantic spin on the classic Cosmo. Aperol lends a bitter undercurrent, while elderflower liqueur offers a lifting floral note. 

Get the Recipe: A Cosmopolitan Cocktail Perfect for Wine Lovers

Reposado Martinez

Reposado_Martinez_Cocktail-700x461
Getty Images

Aged tequila and red wine mix with maraschino liqueur to produce this sweet, booze-forward drink. A deep shade of red, it’s bound to make even the stoniest among us blush.

Get the Recipe: Reposado Martinez

St. Charles Punch

St. Charles Punch
Photo by Tom Arena

Ruby Port and Cognac make for a hearty base in this versatile sipper, which can be served either ice cold or warm like mulled wine.

Get the Recipe: A St. Charles Punch with a Port Wine Twist

Mississippi Bourbon Punch

Mississippi Bourbon Punch
Photo by Chelsea Kyle

Throwing a V-Day shindig for a crowd this year? This colorful bourbon-spiked punch will do the trick. This recipe—which also features two bottles of dry white wine, grenadine, and cranberry, orange and lime juices—serves 12 to 14 thirty souls.

Get the Recipe: Mississippi Bourbon Punch Recipe

Berry Revenge Cocktail

Berry Revenge cocktail
Getty Images

Some hearts can’t be mended. For them, there’s the Berry Revenge Cocktail, which calls on fiery green chile-infused vodka to produce a spicy Valentine’s Day sipper.

Get the Recipe: Berry Revenge Cocktail

Non-Alcoholic Apertif Spritz

NA Anyway Sober Spritz
Photo by Sarah Anne Ward / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea / Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero

Looking for a booze-free treat to sip this V-Day? This blush-colored number, which gets its hue from Willred’s Bittersweet Aperitif—a Campari-adjacent, zero-proof offering—delivers effervescence from sparkling water and a floral aroma from elderflower syrup.

Get the Recipe: Non-Alcoholic Apertif Spritz

The Mezcal-Port Negroni

Cousin Eddie cocktail
Photo by Tom Arena

Robust mezcal, tawny Port and coffee-infused Campari give the classic Negroni a zippy update.

Get the Recipe: A New Take On an Old Favorite: The Mezcal-Port Negroni

FAQs

What Liquor Is Best for Valentine’s Day?

That very much depends on the cocktail. Many Valentine’s Day cocktails are red and get their hue from alcoholic ingredients like bittersweet Campari, tawny Port and red wine. But non-booze ingredients also convey that desired red color, including strawberries and grenadine. These ingredients can complement everything from gin to Champagne.

What Is the Most Romantic Alcoholic Drink?

That depends. What’s your sweetheart’s favorite drink? We’re partial to red-hued sippers on Valentine’s Day. See above!

What Do People Drink on Valentine’s Day?

Champagne or Prosecco have historically been associated with the holiday, but there’s no reason why other drinks can’t be romantic. We think that pink and red-colored cocktails of all stripes are suitable for Valentine’s Day.