Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and whether you plan to celebrate at home with a romantic partner or at your favorite haunt, celebrate in a quintessentially Texas way. To do so, raise your glass to your newest love interest, your lifelong partner, or your crew of BFFs with one of these swoon-worthy Valentine’s Day drinks, many of which are made from ingredients that hail directly from the Longhorn State.
10 Valentine’s Day Cocktails With Their Roots in the Lone Star State
Regardless of how you choose to celebrate the day of love, know that the stale bottle of bubbly in your fridge just won’t do. Fortunately, there are dozens of Valentine’s Day drinks recipes that are easy to pull off and require as few as three ingredients. So, bust out your shaker, dig deep to find the hidden bartender in you, and start mixing. Or, if you’re feeling particularly social, head out in search of one of the following beverages.
1. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Martini
Chocolate is the dessert of choice for love birds and scorned lovers alike, so it makes sense that the chocolate-covered strawberry martini would top the list of Texans’ favorite Valentine’s Day drinks. Made with Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon from the Texas-based distillery Garrison Brothers — which also happens to be the nation’s first legal bourbon distillery outside of Kentucky — this drink has a decidedly masculine base. However, Godiva white chocolate liqueur, half-and-half, simple syrup, Hershey’s dark chocolate, and whole strawberries provide that much-needed feminine and silky touch expectant of a true Valentine’s Day drink.
2. Besame Mucho
Made with Lalo tequila, which is distilled in Jalisco, Texas, Besame Mucho is a potent and favored Valentine’s Day cocktail in the Southwest. As its name promises, Besame Mucho has little trouble in getting drinkers to do what its name implies — “Kiss me much.” The ¾ cups of champagne, which matches ounces for ounce the amount of tequila, is tamed (a bi) with ¼ cup fresh lime juice, one cup of fresh hulled strawberries, and ¼ cup triple sec.
3. Love Potion
Every bar throughout every city across the country has its version of the “Love Potion” that it adds to the menu as V-Day draws near, so why should your home bar be any different? Borrow from the playbook of Twang — an Austin-based seasoning company — and combine spirits from regional brands with a Twang product to come up with something truly Texan — such as the Love Potion with Twang-a-Rita Golden Roar. Combine Golden Roar with an apple liqueur, Deep Eddy peach vodka, and cranberry juice and garnish with an orange slice for a slightly sweet, slightly sour love potion.
4. Galentine’s Day Pink Drink
If you’re not feeling the love this Valentine’s Day, opt for something a little more bitter. The Galentine’s Day Pink Drink utilizes Dulce Vida Tequila — another Austin staple — Twang-a-Rita Citruslash, lemon juice, triple sec, and strawberry lemonade to bring you a drink that complements your sweet-yet-sour attitude toward Hallmark’s biggest holiday.
5. Raspberry Gin Fizz
Another Twang concoction, this cocktail combines Twang-a-Rita Unwind Lime with Seersucker Original Southern Style Gin, lime juice, and simple syrup. Top it off with fresh raspberries and some Topo Chico, and you can feel good about over-indulging in this smoothing-hitting cocktail.
For those of you who don’t know what Topo Chico is, some might say that you aren’t truly Texan. So that you can prove naysayers wrong, know that it’s legendary sparkling mineral water that hails from Monterrey, Mexico. Legend has it that the water is so pure it can help you ward off a hangover before it has a chance to hit.
6. Blackberry Cherry Sidecar
For the more sophisticated valentine, a classic sidecar with a twist is a creative yet classy way to say you care. At its base, a sidecar consists of top-shelf Cointreau and brandy. The twist on the Valentine’s Day drinks edition comes by muddling the powerful spirits with blackberries, a splash of unsweetened cherry juice, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup. Serve over ice with additional blackberries and watch the recipient swoon at first sip.
7. Cherry Crush
A refreshing drink typically reserved for summertime, the Cherry Crush cocktail is a go-to Valentine’s Day drinks recipe for bartenders and hosts alike because of its deep ruby color. The mix of vodka, cherry grenadine, water, and lime juice make this cocktail one that is easy to go down. However, a smoking cinnamon stick added for flavor and flourish gives this cocktail some warmth, perfect for serving on a crisp February evening that is electrified with the possibility of love.
8. Mary Pickford
Like its namesake, the Mary Pickford is a sweet and silky cocktail with a kick. Named after the original “America’s Sweetheart,” the Mary Pickford has a base of white rum and grenadine. Pineapple juice sweetens this bold mixture, while a handful of drops of maraschino liqueur smooth it out to create one easy-on-the-tastebuds cocktail.
9. Strawberry Shortcake Mimosa
While most people would be hard-pressed to forego their Valentine’s Day dessert instead of a cocktail, you may be tempted to do so once you see and taste the strawberry shortcake mimosa. This delight of a drink (if you can even call it that) contains all the makings of a savory dessert, including whipped cream, sprinkles of Nilla crumbs, strawberry ice cream, and sliced strawberries. However, unlike a typical cake or pudding, it’s served in a champagne flute with one ounce of vodka and some prosecco. Serve and drink — or eat — up.
10. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Jell-O Shots
You can’t have Valentine’s Day without chocolate-covered strawberries, regardless of how you feel about the holiday. Though the original recipe calls for vodka in the Jell-O, you can use a liquor of your choice to give a more sophisticated edge to an otherwise simple drink recipe.
Several of these Valentine’s Day drinks recipes are, in their very essence, Texan. However, for those on the list that are more mainstream, you can “tex-ify” them by using ingredients made, grown, or distilled in the Lone Star State. To prepare for the upcoming day of love, shop our large selection of wine, beer, and liquor from our Zipps Liquor stores.