Valentine’s Day is a beautiful occasion to celebrate love and togetherness. Besides gifts and flowers, romantic drinks are also a great way to surprise your partner. Be it a date night at a restaurant or a simple dinner at home with your other half, wine is always a part of these special moments. You can also create brilliant cocktails by mixing wine with other ingredients.
It is believed that wine is associated with the feast of Saint Valentine and drinking it on this day leads to happiness in love as well as brings good luck. This rich and classic beverage, also known to be an aphrodisiac, is made with fermented fruits such as grapes, strawberries, plums and blackberries. So, to make your dinner date even more romantic, here are six wine cocktails you can sip with your partner.
Sangria
Ingredients
- 750 ml dry red wine
- ½ cup brandy
- ½ cup triple sec
- ⅓ cup frozen lemonade concentrate
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 orange, sliced into rounds
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
- 1 lime, sliced into rounds
- 8 maraschino cherries
- 2 cups carbonated water
Method
- Mix red wine, brandy, triple sec, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
- Add orange, lemon, and lime slices and cherries.
- Serve immediately over ice. For a fizzy sangria, top with club soda just before serving.
Mimosa
Ingredients
- 750 ml chilled dry sparkling wine
- 3 cups chilled orange juice
- 1/2 cup Grand Marnier
Method
- Fill 8 champagne flutes half with sparkling wine.
- Top with orange juice.
- Add one tablespoon of Grand Marnier to each glass followed by wine and orange juice. Serve.
Red Wine Spritzer
Ingredients
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1 bottle club soda
Garnish
- fresh mint leaves
- raspberries fresh
Method
- Fill a glass with 1/2 full of ice. Pour wine over the ice until the glass is half full.
- Fill the remaining glass with club soda.
- Garnish with raspberries and mint leaves and enjoy.
French 75
Ingredients
- 60 ml gin
- 20 ml fresh lemon juice
- 20 ml simple syrup
- 120 ml sparkling wine
- 1 lemon peel, for garnish
Method
- Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake well until completely chilled. Strain into a champagne flute.
- Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a lemon twist. Serve immediately.
Mulled Wine
Ingredients
- 1 bottle red wine
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ - ½ cup brandy
- 1 orange, sliced, plus more for garnish
- 2 cinnamon sticks, plus more for garnish
- 3 whole star anise pods, plus more for garnish
- 4 whole cloves
Method
- Add all the ingredients to a large pot and stir together to combine.
- Heat the pot over medium flame for 10 minutes. Let it come to a boil.
- Pour the drink into mugs and garnish with an orange slice, cinnamon stick and star anise pod. Serve.
Calimocho
Ingredients
- Ice cubes, for serving
- ½ cup red wine
- ½ cup cola
- 1 lemon slice for garnish
Method
- Fill a tall cocktail glass with ice cubes.
- Pour in red wine and cola to it.
- Garnish with a lemon slice. Enjoy.