There’s nothing quite like a cocktail to set the mood. And there’s nothing quite like a pink cocktail to toast to Valentine’s Day. Thankfully, many delicious cocktail ingredients from grapefruit to berry liqueurs to rosé Champagne lend a gorgeous pink hue to any drink they are mixed into. Here are 9 festive and flavorful cocktails to make this Valentine’s Day.
Pine Needle Paloma
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Since Valentine’s Day falls in mid-February, it’s the perfect occasion to make this stunning wintry riff on a classic Paloma cocktail. Fresh pine needles infuse woodsy and herbaceous notes into tequila which blends seamlessly with freshly squeezed lime and grapefruit juice. The resulting cocktail is a celebration of winter citrus with a tart and sweet flavor profile.
Rhubarb Gin Sour
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This frothy pink drink gets its blush hue from rhubarb simple syrup which is made by simmering fresh rhubarb with sugar and water. The rhubarb syrup adds fresh, bittersweet notes to the classic components of a gin sour: gin, lemon, and egg white. This drink can be topped with a range of garnishes, including fresh rhubarb, a few drops of bitters, or even fresh thyme leaves, which echo the herbaceousness of the gin.
Pink Squirrel
Tim Nusog / Food & Wine
This rosy-hued cocktail is a dessert in a glass. The Pink Squirrel is a cream-based cocktail made with just three ingredients: crème de noyaux (an almond-flavored crème liqueur), crème de cacao, and heavy cream. It falls under a cocktail category often referred to as “ice cream drinks,” as it is frequently made with ice cream in place of heavy cream.
Rosé French 75
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Bubbly, tart, and of course, pink, this play on a French 75 is perfect for a Valentine’s Day toast. The Rosé 75 features a syrup made with dry rosé wine, gin, a touch of sweet vermouth, and lemon juice, topped off with sparkling rosé. Akin to a classic French 75, this rosy-hued version takes on nutty, caramelized notes thanks to a syrup made with rosé wine and granulated sugar, alongside a splash of sweet vermouth. Fuller-bodied sparkling rosé adds a rich dimension that bringing this combination to a triumphant finish.
Ruby Red Spritz
Victor Protasio
Gin, grapefruit, and Campari blend with sparkling rosé in this bittersweet spritz. An optional splash of club soda will lighten up the cocktail, if desired. While ruby red grapefruit juice yields a drink with a red hue, pink grapefruit can be substituted in for a lighter color.
Pink Elephant
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Ruby-hued and served in a double rocks glass with a pink peppercorn rim, this original cocktail was created by Leo Robitschek, partner and V.P. of food and beverage at NoMad London. The Pink Elephant is a bright, tropical cocktail that combines blanco tequila with spicy, chili-infused Aperol, passion fruit, pineapple, and fresh lemon juices, Cherry Heering liqueur, and orgeat syrup.
Baby Marmalade
Perfect for a nonalcoholic Valentine’s Day toast, this original recipe from bartender and author John deBary, doubles up on the ginger heat for a spicy, booze-free drink. “Ginger replicates that pleasant burn [that you might get] from vodka,” says deBary. The Baby Marmalade is a nonalcoholic cocktail that combines verjus — tart, pressed juice made from unripe wine grapes — ginger juice, ginger syrup, grenadine, and a splash of club soda.
Plum Gin Fizz
This fuchsia-hued cocktail gets its powerful pink color from a puree made with fresh plums and granulated sugar. That flavorful base combines with the ingredients in a classic Gin Fizz — gin, an egg white, lemon juice, and club soda — to yield a fruity, tart, and lightly sweet cocktail.
Pink Lady
Tim Nusog / Food & Wine
The Pink Lady is the perfect Valentine’s Day cocktail: it has a festive name, a peachy-pink color, and a sweet-tart flavor profile. This pre-Prohibition drink is a riff on a Gin Sour that is sweetened with grenadine, which also gives the drink its rosy hue.
