A good meal without a good drink is nothing, but a good drink, in and of itself, is everything. Better yet, seasonal cocktails are wonderful – in the same way that everyone loves rum cocktails and sangria in the summer, winter cocktails like mulled wine, spiced cider and classic bourbon cocktails have their time to shine, and their time is now. If you’re cooking a special meal for your SO this Valentine’s Day, be sure to have a drink that stands up to whatever fancy food you’re going to serve. If your SO is yourself, you deserve a drink. Treat yourself. With all that in mind, here are three cocktails, inspired by famous romances, unrequited love, and people who are about to move on.
The “Drunk in Love” - inspired by Beyonce and Jay-Z
Is there a better celebrity couple right now than 'Yonce and Jay-Z? I don’t think so, especially after seeing them in the “Drunk in Love” music video. Although Jay-Z rattles off a laundry list of liquor, Beyonce’s the first to mention drinking - and she’s drinking some expensive champagne called Armand de Brignac. Jay-Z prefers cognac, specifically, D’Usse. Fortunately there’s a cocktail called the French 75 that blends both.
1 ½ oz. cognac
6 oz. champagne
1 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. simple syrup
Combine all ingredients and serve in sugar-rimmed champagne flute.
The Green Light - inspired by Gatsby
Gatsby’s love for Daisy Buchanan was everlasting, idealistic – and fatal. He sure could throw a party, though. He fêted all of New York society in the hope that she would show up, and if she didn’t, he’d have to content himself with the green light at the end of the Buchanan estate dock. I won’t make you repeat 10th grade English and go into some longwinded explanation of that green light – instead, here’s a green cocktail that’s sure to have you seeing things, too.
2 oz. absinthe
½ oz. lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
Ice (to preference)
Combine ingredients and add ice. Serve in highball glass.
The Queen Mab - inspired by Romeo
Nope, this cocktail isn’t about the tragedy of Juliet and her Romeo, but rather, Romeo when he still had a crush on Rosalind. While talking with his friend Mercutio, Romeo mentions a dream he recently had – to which Mercutio responds with a monologue about Queen Mab, a faerie who visits people in their dreams, riding in a hazelnut shell. Infatuation is intoxicating, so if you’re infatuated you might as well be literally intoxicated. And since it’s Valentine’s Day, do it with chocolate.
6 oz. hot chocolate
1 oz. hazelnut liqueur, like Frangelico
1 oz. vanilla liqueur, like DeKuyper
Combine ingredients in a coffee mug.