Your sweetheart and a little booze is all you need to make this Valentine's Day unforgettable. Do you and your partner enjoy dressing to the nines, maybe trying new things, or like to keep Valentine's casual? We have three great options for you to choose no matter how you celebrate your love.
You may be asking yourself, ‘how did Valentine’s Day come to be anyway’? Well, it is documented within the Catholic Church that three different saints (all named Valentine or Valentinus) were martyred during the third century CE in Rome. Their death was then celebrated and marked with a Fertility Festival, a newly announced Pagan holiday. Today, we give each other large teddy bears and chocolate boxes all because of three beheaded men and a festival promoting fertility. Nice.
With that, let’s move on to some drink suggestions. If you are among the folks who enjoy spending the night out on the town to celebrate Valentine’s Day, try rounding out your evening by making a Hibiscus Hot Toddy. To make one, you will need:
This is a fairly easy recipe to make, the hardest part being the honey syrup (and even that’s not too bad). You will need to heat equal parts honey and water in a pot until the contents are just simmering. Remove your potion from the heat and let it cool. Once at your desired temperature, pour your honey syrup, rum, and lime juice into a heatproof glass. Meanwhile, add your dried hibiscus flowers with boiling water and let steep for 2 minutes. Finally, combine the brewed hibiscus tea to the rum mixture and enjoy!
Who doesn’t indulge themselves with chocolate covered strawberries on Valentine’s Day? Try something new with your chocolate strawberries by combining them with jello shots. For 10 chocolate covered strawberry shots, you will need:
To make the shot glasses, cut off the tops and bottoms of the starbierries- making sure they are level and can stand on a flat surface. Next, carefully scoop out the inside of each strawberry, creating a “shot glass”. Reward yourself by eating the insides.
Next, line a baking sheet with non-stick paper and set aside. Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil into a large boil and begin to melt in the microwave in 30-second increments. The fun part begins once the chocolate is completely melted. Dip your hollowed strawberries into the coco inferno and place them on your baking sheet cup side up. Wash your hands (or lick them- we won’t judge), and put the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
While your little edible shots cool, begin prepping the Jell-O filling. In a large bowl, whisk together Jell-O and boiling water until completely dissolved. Easy enough. Then, add vodka (oh heck yeah) and whisk to combine.
Carefully pour Jell-O mixture into the strawberries. Refrigerate until firm, which is about 3 hours. Want a word of advice to impress your loved one? Prep the chocolate covered strawberry shots the day before. You’re welcome.
If multi-step drinks (or shots for that matter) are not your cup of tea–try sticking to the more conventional side. There is nothing wrong with the basics. Wine, a romantic drink in itself, is an excellent beverage choice to share with your loved one (or alone!) on Valentine’s Day. Perhaps make an evening out of it by creating a charcuterie board to pair with 2021’s top rated wines. We can come up with at least 4 reasons why now is a great time to learn about wine, Valentine’s Day simply offers a perfect reason to get started.
So there you have it, 3 vastly different Valentine’s Day drink options for you and yours to try out. Feel free to get creative with them! Add extra booze or skip it entirely, mocktails are always an excellent option.