Entertaining

11 Romantic Red and Pink Cocktails for Valentine’s Day

You can never go wrong with roses, but this cocktail inspired by the flower’s beautiful hue is a close runner-up. Don’t expect an overly floral cocktail. Instead, Laird’s Applejack brandy, lime juice and high-quality grenadine lead to a sweet and sour concoction with an edge, like a rose’s thorn.

The rosy-hued Cosmopolitan may have gained a “girly” reputation thanks to Sex and the City, but it's stood the test of time. When made with good citrus-forward vodka, tart cranberry juice, fresh lime juice and orange-flavored Cointreau, the dainty drink is perfectly balanced—not too sweet, not too sour, and equally suitable for males and females alike.

This beautiful crimson cocktail gets its coloration from raspberry liqueur, mixed with London dry gin, lemon juice and egg whites for a frothy white head. It’s a wonderful after-dinner tipple.

The Pink Martini is a Valentine’s Day no-brainer. Made with vodka, grapefruit juice, pomegranate juice and lime juice, it’s a balanced take on the typically cloying Pomtini. Bonus: Pomegranates are an aphrodisiac.

Fans of the Mimosa and all its variations will love the Kir Royale, a richly fruity, fizzy cocktail that combines Champagne with crème de cassis—a blackcurrant liqueur. It will compliment the perfume you’re wearing or gifting, as blackcurrant buds are also used in popular scents like Chanel No. 5.

This refreshing cocktail blends silver tequila with fresh grapefruit juice and bracing Campari for a drink that’s perfect any time of day. But, as the name implies, it’s especially appropriate before a little afternoon nap with your significant other.

On any other day of the year, we might blush while making this cheeky cocktail, but not on Valentine’s Day. This boozy milkshake made with gin, vanilla ice cream, frozen strawberries and frozen pink lemonade is the perfect V-Day dessert.

While the Negroni is an absolutely acceptable red-colored cocktail, this spicy rye variation is a more sultry choice for Valentine’s Day. Using whiskey in place of gin creates a more intense, rounded flavor when stirred with Campari and sweet vermouth.

Take the dry gin, lemon juice and creamy egg whites from the Clover Club, and cross them with the sweet Applejack and tart grenadine from the Jack Rose, and you have yourself a Pink Lady. Try making your own hibiscus grenadine for a floral twist, and garnish with brandied cherries for an extra treat at the end of the drink.

The Bay Breeze is slightly sweeter than its tangy grapefruit-laden cousin, the Sea Breeze. The former mixes cranberry juice with pineapple juice and vodka for an easy sipper you can make with ingredients you probably already have in the house—great for last minute Valentine’s Day celebrations.

This dessert-in-a-glass from New York’s Butter & Scotch is as pretty as your dining companion, and the drink makes for an amazing end to special meal. A grownup take on an ice cream float, it combines rosé wine with strawberry ice cream, fruity Aperol and spritzy seltzer for sparkling sweet sipper.