A toast to you this Valentine's Day!
Rosé is pink, flowers will do, but why not make drinks or a cocktail for two?
"Cocktails are great way to elevate a typical Valentine’s Day occasion, and there’s nothing like a fresh hand-crafted cocktail to set the mood, especially in an intimate setting," Dominic Alling, the mixologist behind developing hand-crafted cocktail recipes for The Botanist Gin and Cointreau, told "GMA."
A fresh cocktail can really "set the mood" for a special occasion, he added.
Whether you reach for a flute, a high ball or a coupe-id (get it!?) these libations are the perfect thing to raise a glass and propose a toast to that special someone.
Spice things up with a red pepper infused cocktail or sweeten up the evening with a royale champagne punch topped with fresh berries.
Punch Royale
Ingredients:
8 ounces Chambord Liqueur
8 ounces Cranberry juice
2 cold bottles sparkling wine
Raspberries and/or blackberries
Directions:
Take two bottles of cold champagne, cranberry juice and Chambord. Pour into a punch bowl or large pitcher.
Stir and garnish with raspberries or blackberries (or both, up to you). Serve as soon as the clock is ready!
Red Lady
Ingredients:2 ounces The Botanist Gin (or substitute your gin of choice)
2 ounces Cointreau
1 ounce Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
6 strips Julienned Red Bell Pepper
3 drops Orange Bitters
Directions:
In a cocktail shaker, muddle red bell pepper.
Add remaining ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
Shake without ice then add ice and shake again.
Double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a strip of julienned red bell pepper.
Smoke Show
Ingredients:
2 ounces The Botanist Gin (or substitute your gin of choice)
1 ounce Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 ounce Ginger Syrup
.25 ounces Mezcal
4 drops Orange Bitters
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
Fill with ice and shake.
Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a ginger slice.
Rosé Fizz
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces The Botanist Gin (or substitute your gin of choice)
.75 ounces Fresh Lemon Juice
.75 ounces Honey Syrup
2 Rosemary Sprigs
2 ounces Sparkling Rosé
Directions:
Add gin, honey syrup and one rosemary sprig into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake.
Fine strain into a champagne glass.
Top with sparkling rosé and garnish with a rosemary sprig.
The Playful Paloma
Ingredients:
2 parts Avion Silver
1 part Grapefruit Juice
1/2 part Lime Juice
1/2 part agave nectar
Splash club soda
Directions:
Build ingredients over ice in a glass, stir ingredients to chill and garnish with a lime wedge.
Raspberry Royale
Ingredients
1 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water to dilute)
3 raspberries
4 ounces Champagne
Directions:
Muddle the raspberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add Cointreau, fresh lemon juice and honey syrup and shake with ice.
Strain into coupe glass. Top with Champagne and garnish with raspberries.
Editor's note: This was originally published on Feb. 5, 2019.
