The steaks are cooked. The candles are lit. The table is set, roses and all. The only thing that’s missing? Drinks, of course. Here are 27 Valentine’s Day cocktails to shake up with your partner this February. Our options range from boozy Manhattans to fruity frozen bevs to mimosas for a crowd, so there's a thirst-quencher suited for everyone's needs.
27 Valentine’s Day Cocktails to Shake Up with Your S.O.
From fruity to boozy
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Published Jan 19, 2024
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- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
February might not be blended cocktail season, but with a name like that, this mango-peach sipper is destined for your V-Day menu. Plus, it's just four ingredients (five, if you add a garnish)—and most of them you probably already have on hand. Pick your poison: coconut rum or flavored vodka.
2. Cranberry-Spiced Whiskey Sour
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
Sure, this libation is delicious, thanks to cranberry-spiced simple syrup and bourbon. But how about that absurdly cute Angostura bitters heart on top?! Prepare the syrup in advance so you can assemble as soon as your guests (or S.O.) arrives.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes (plus cooling time)
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Coat the rim with vanilla sugar, aka a blend of granulated sugar and vanilla bean powder or vanilla bean seeds, for a frost-inspired finish. And feel free to add a splash of heavy cream to the martini for a luxurious mouthfeel and to curb the bitterness of the espresso.
4. French 75
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Champagne is practically a Valentine’s Day cliché, so take things to the next level (ahem, a more delicious and complex one) with a dash of your favorite gin and a spritz of fresh lemon juice. Garnishing each with a lemon twist and a cherry (maraschino or Luxardo) adds a flirty finishing touch.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
With the addition of Lillet Blanc, this pretty-in-pink twist on a classic turns sweet and floral. Since one recipe makes eight servings, you won't need to spend as much time behind the bar. Win-win.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes (plus infusing time)
- Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Pregame your famous chocolate-covered strawberries with this bev that boasts both plain and strawberry vodkas. It requires a bit of forethought, since the fruit-infused vodka needs to sit for 24 to 72 hours.
7. Spiced Honey Bourbon Old Fashioned
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
The old fashioned is traditionally made with rye whiskey, but full-bodied, sweet bourbon gives the O.G. a run for its money. As for the spiced honey syrup, spiked with cinnamon, cardamom and fresh ginger, save some for your next mug of tea (or hot toddy).
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredietns
Meet the cold-weather drink of your dreams. All it takes is a bottle of red, orange juice and a few pantry staples to come together. A generous glug of brandy ensures you'll stay warm all Valentine's Day long.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Complete with a thyme salt rim. Tequila might strike you as a summer spirit, but mixing it with fresh thyme and blood orange soda gives it a seasonal spin. (It's basically a fancy winter paloma.)
10. Mulled Cider
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly
Autumn does *not* have dibs on apple cider. Pour you and your S.O. a couple of mugs, bundle up on the couch and let the movie marathon commence. The recipe calls for rum, but whiskey would pair just as well.
11. Pomegranate Champagne Mule
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
This spicy, sweet-tart delight is glittering with celebratory vibes. Pro tip: Dampen a few rosemary sprigs, roll them in sugar and let them dry to make the prettiest garnish of all time.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
A dollop of fig preserves and fresh lemon juice infuse every sip with wintry, bright flavor. Dark rum is the go-to spirit here, but this ginger-fig number would pair beautifully with bourbon too.
13. Sparkling Elderflower Fizz
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
If you’re looking for a healthy-ish cocktail to celebrate with, this one uses a cherry-blueberry probiotic drink as a mixer. Feel free to substitute your favorite gut-healthy soda or even kombucha, if you feel so inclined.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes (plus cooling time)
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, make ahead
Citrusy, sweet-tart and floral, this sipper is a stellar fit for your Galentine's Day spread. Make the raspberry simple syrup in advance so it has plenty of time to cool before happy hour.
15. Hot Buttered Rum
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Behold: dessert in a glass. This chic alternative to hot cocoa tastes even better when enjoyed by a roaring fire. Serve each glass with a cinnamon stick for stirring.
16. Winter Citrus Tequila Smash
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Blood orange, lime and orange zest meet pomegranate juice and grated ginger to create the ultimate seasonal sipper. Sub agave or maple syrup for honey if that's what you have on hand.
17. Cucumber Delight
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
This recipe is beyond versatile. Swap the cucumber vodka for cucumber-infused gin, use lime juice instead of lemon or even add some muddled mint. Whatever you decide, don't skip the cantaloupe ball garnish.
18. Sparkling Sage Grapefruit Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
The beauty calls for fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, but we won’t tell if you use bottled. Use homemade sage-honey syrup in place of standard simple if you want to make up for the juice shortcut.
19. Frosé
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, <10 ingredients
We know, we know: It was basically the official drink of summer 2016. But we’re not letting any pink drink this iconic go unnoticed on V-Day. (After all, we know you have a neglected bottle of rosé in your fridge door...)
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Don’t skip the muddling—breaking the berries down ensures you won’t miss out on a single drop of their sweet-tart juice. Substitute Champagne for prosecco or cava to save at the liquor store.
21. Manhattan
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes
Does it get any classier than this whiskey-based staple? We think not. We’ll take an extra maraschino cherry in ours, please.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Think of this creative number as a cross between an Aperol spritz and a Garibaldi, plus the smoky addition of mezcal or tequila. Use Campari in place of Aperol if you want your drink extra bitter.
23. Sage Bee’s Knees
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Just in case you get thirsty before the 14th, nearly all the ingredients besides the gin are pantry staples that you likely have on hand right now. Prepare the honey syrup ahead too while you're at it.
24. Cinnamon Bourbon Old Fashioned
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes (plus cooling time)
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, beginner-friendly
Maple-rosemary cinnamon syrup? Yes, please. The brûléed orange garnish is just *chef’s kiss*. (And making it is as simple as sprinkling orange slices with sugar and caramelizing them in a skillet.)
25. Bourbon-Spiked Hot Chocolate
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
There’s no better time than Valentine’s Day to whip up a chocolatey cocktail that doubles as dessert. If you and your date are home with the kids on the 14th, make a few mugs sans-bourbon for them to nurse.
26. Pomegranate-Demerara Rum Punch
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
This communal drink requires a bit of elbow grease (the recipe calls for squeezing the pineapple, orange and lime juices yourself), but we promise it's worth the effort. As for the pomegranate molasses needed for the from-scratch grenadine, you can find it at a Middle Eastern market or online.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, no cook, beginner-friendly
Hosting a few couples for Valentine's Day dinner? This simple-yet-sophisticated idea is just the ticket. Guests can choose between grapefruit, mango-pineapple and strawberry-basil mimosas. One bottle of Champagne contains about six to eight servings, so buy accordingly.
