Make a sweet night in with your loved one even sweeter this Valentine’s Day with these delectable cocktail recipes from the mixologists behind some of Virginia’s finest distilleries. Show off your own mixing skills to your partner or pamper yourself and sip your way into a solo night of bliss.
Raspberry Rose Gin Rickey
Recipe by Crescent Simples, Richmond
This Gin Rickey comes alive with a syrup from Richmond’s Crescent Simples, offering a bright, refreshing cocktail that’s both timeless and versatile, perfectly balanced by floral sweetness and crisp citrus notes.
- 2 ounces gin
- 1/2 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce Raspberry Rose Crescent Simples Syrup
- Top with soda water
Add the gin, lime juice, and Simple Syrup to a shaker.
Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a lime wheel or fresh raspberries.
Grapefruit Rosemary Gal Pal
Recipe by Crescent Simples, Richmond
A Galentine’s twist on the classic 1920s Old Pal that adds bright, herbal notes with grapefruit rosemary simple syrup, matching the bitterness with a touch of citrusy sweetness.
- 1 ounce rye whiskey
- 1 ounce dry vermouth
- 1/2 ounce Campari
- 1/2 ounce Grapefruit Rosemary Crescent Simples Syrup
- Rosemary sprig or grapefruit wheel for garnish
Add all ingredients to a shaker.
Stir for 20 seconds, then strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a rosemary sprig or grapefruit wheel.
Raspberry Roffignac
Recipe by Crescent Simples, Richmond
A sparkling twist on a classic Roffignac, blending bright raspberries with effervescent bubbles for a refreshing and slightly sweet cocktail.
- 2 ounces VSOP Cognac
- 1/2 ounce Raspberry Rose Crescent Simples Syrup
- 1/2 ounce Cranberry MOTHER shrub
- Top with soda water
Add Cognac, simple syrup, and shrub to a shaker.
Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice and top with soda water.
Raspberry Rose Cosmopolitan
Recipe by Crescent Simples, Richmond
Cranberries and raspberries blend together in sweet-tart harmony in this take on a traditional Cosmopolitan—it’s a match made in heaven.
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1/2 ounce cranberry juice
- 1/2 ounce Raspberry Rose Crescent Simples Syrup
- 1/4 ounce lime juice
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake.
Strain into a chilled coupe.
Pink Pajamas
Recipe by MurLarkey Distilled Spirits, Manassas
A smooth, balanced, and unique cocktail combining botanical notes of MurLarkey’s Imagination Gin and Aperol for a perfectly pink Valentine’s tint.
- 2 ounces MurLarkey Imagination Gin
- 1/2 ounce Aperol
- 4 ounces pink grapefruit juice
- Grapefruit wheel for garnish
Add all ingredients to a shaker.
Strain into an ice-filled glass.
Garnish with a fresh grapefruit wheel.
Love Bird
Recipe by MurLarkey Distilled Spirits, Manassas
Perfect for parties, this cocktail is light, clean, and delicate, with a soft finish that will please any crowd.
- 2 ounces MurLarkey Divine Clarity Vodka
- 1/2 ounce strawberry syrup or liqueur
- 3 ounces cranberry juice
- Alternatively, 3 1/2 ounces white cranberry-strawberry juice instead of strawberry syrup and cranberry juice
- Strawberries for garnish
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake.
Strain into a chilled or ice-filled glass.
Garnish with fresh strawberries.
Shenandoah Gin & Tonic
Recipe by Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, Purcellville
Inspired by an old Appalachian recipe, Catoctin Creek’s newest product, Shenandoah Gin, features ripe strawberry and pawpaw that turns a standard gin and tonic into a perfectly pink drink dressed and ready for Valentine’s Day.
- Strawberries for garnish
- 1— 1 1/2 ounces Catoctin Creek Shenandoah Strawberry Pawpaw Gin
- Tonic water
Place several thinly sliced strawberries into a large wine glass.
Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the gin.
Top with tonic water and add a straw.
Rye of the Beholder
Recipe by Belmont Farms Distillery, Culpeper
As red as a rose and as sweet as your Valentine, this drink is Belmont Farms’ interpretation of a Valentine’s Day Manhattan—a romantic twist on the classic.
- 2 ounces Kopper Kettle Rye Whiskey
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 1/2 ounce triple sec
- Dash of bitters
- Cherries for garnish
Add all ingredients to an ice-filled mixing glass.
Stir until well-chilled (about 30 seconds).
Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
Garnish with a cherry.
The Passion Fruit
Recipe by Belmont Farms Distillery, Culpeper
A Wild Wild West cocktail, Belmont Farms-style, that will help you take your passion to the next level this Valentine’s Day.
- 2 ounces Kopper Kettle Bourbon
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- 1 ounce apple juice
- 1/2 ounce peach schnapps
- Fruit for garnish (optional)
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake.
Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice.
Garnish with fruit of choice.
Sweetheart Sour
Recipe by Belmont Farms Distillery, Culpeper
Turn your sweetheart’s frown upside down with this Valentine’s-themed take on a Whiskey Sour.
- Sliced strawberries
- 2 ounces Kopper Kettle Bonded Whiskey
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 3/4 ounce simple syrup
Muddle 2–3 strawberry slices in a cocktail shaker.
Add other ingredients and shake well with ice.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with strawberry.
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