Food
5 Perfect Date Night Cocktails
Shake up your next rendezvous with one of these delectable drinks, and raise your glass to romance
Looking for some date night inspiration? We asked four mixologists to get creative, and they poured their hearts into it. Whether you’re painting the town red with dinner and dancing or cosying up at home with your significant other, these cocktail recipes are a perfect way to spice up the night. Cheers to love!
U and Me
Courtesy of Vasilis Sgouromallis and Dimitris Karapanos
Vasilis Sgouromallis and Dimitris Karapanos are partners at Liquid Elements bar consulting, while also running the cocktail programmes for Humain Athens, Juls Ibiza and Bungalow 7 on the Athens Riviera. They took some time out of their busy schedule to stir this up.
Inspired by the legendary Bellini – first invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice – this bubbly-based beauty swaps out peach juice for an exotic pop of passionfruit purée. The warmth and allure of sweet vanilla syrup combined with the sharp, bright passionfruit gives the drink a flirty and almost erotic vibe. Try it out and see for yourself.
The Recipe: U and Me
90 ml Prosecco
40 ml Passion fruit purée
10 ml Vanilla syrup (like Monin or homemade – see recipe below)
Fresh mint
Combine ingredients with a vigorous shake or stir, and serve in a flute glass with a fresh mint garnish.
Vanilla Syrup
Whisk equal parts (by volume) sugar and water in a saucepan, and set to medium-high heat until it simmers. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup us clear. Remove from heat. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste and stir. Alternatively, slice several vanilla pods vertically and add to the syrup before simmering.
Eclipse and Juliette Twist
Courtesy of Giacomo Malavolti, Bar Manager at W Firenze and W Rome
After transforming the bar at Rome’s W Hotel into a chic go-to at all hours, Giacomo Malavolti has set his sights on the W Hotel bar in Florence. In between shifts, he sent over two recipes: the Bourbon-based classic Eclipse, and one of his own Valentine’s Day creations, a Juliette Twist – which Giacomo describes as “the love-child of a Champagne cocktail and a Negroni Sbagliato”.
The Juliette Twist – is as it sounds, a twist on the original Juliette – uses pineapple and cranberry juice, along with pear and raspberry liqueur. This cocktail is designed to be complex yet easy to drink, a tipple that inevitably invites another sip. A sophisticated crowd-pleaser, especially when the crowd is just the two of you.
The Recipe: Eclipse (Adapted from Difford’s Guide)
12 fresh raspberries + extra for garnish
2 shots of Bourbon whiskey
1 shot raspberry liqueur
½ shot of fresh lime juice
2 shots of cranberry juice
Fresh mint
In a shaker, muddle the raspberries, then add the remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Serve atop shaved ice or a solid cube. Giacomo sticks to the original recipe. “It’s slightly sweet and slightly smoky,” he says. “Very intriguing.” As with a real eclipse, you’ll want to stop, savour the moment and feel the magic.
The Recipe: Juliette Twist
1 sugar cube or 10 ml sugar syrup
10 ml Campari or other red bitter
15 ml Cognac
3 dashes orange bitters
Rosé Champagne, as needed
Orange zest
Combine the first four ingredients in a chilled flute or white wine glass, and top off with rosé Champagne. Express the orange zest so the oils infuse the top of the glass.
Cupidon French Martini
Courtesy of Esteban Hernández, Vineria Harlem Gin Bar
Before his lucky landing in New York City, Esteban Hernandez spent much of his life in one of the world’s most romantic cities: Paris. He brings a touch of amour to this cocktail, which puts a glamorous spin on the classic vodka martini, swapping out vermouth for sweet and tangy pineapple juice along with equally bright and fruity Chambord raspberry liqueur. As Hernandez describes it, the Cupidon French Martini is bitter and sweet, like a lot of love stories. Fingers crossed, your Valentine’s night is on the sweeter side.
The Recipe: Cupidon French Martini
60 ml Vodka 44 ml Chambord 44 ml Pineapple Juice 2 drops bitters of your choice
Stir or shake over ice, strain and serve straight up in a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a raspberry.
Amore Shakerato
Courtesy of Luca Fanari, Veleno Roma
A 2021 recipient of the Patron Perfectionist Award, industry veteran Luca Fanari has been stirring and shaking his way ,across Europe including a stint at Nomad London. In Rome, he’s graced bars on the 50 Best list, such as Baccano and Freni e Frizioni, and he currently curates the cocktail programme at Veleno speakeasy, located in the basement of Luciano – a trattoria serving canonical Roman cuisine with a thoughtful, modern twist. Insider tip: the full menu is available at Veleno, too.
Italian for “shaken love”, this fresh and flirty cocktail takes inspiration from the Campari Shakerato – Bitter Campari shaken hard over ice and served straight up as a popular apritif. The addition of aged tequila reposado adds depth and heat to help break the ice on a first date or keep the fire blazing, no matter how long you’ve been together.
The Recipe: Amore Shakerato
50 ml Campari
15 ml Tequila resposado
17.5 ml Raspberry and salt syrup (see recipe below)
15 ml Lemon juice
Lime wedge
Combine ingredients and shake vigorously with ice. Serve over ice in an old-fashioned glass and garnish with a wedge of fresh lime.
Raspberry Salt Syrup
A generous pinch of sea salt adds a lip-smacking, savoury quality to an otherwise sweet syrup. Combine 500 ml water, 250 grams fresh raspberries, 300 grams sugar and sea salt. Blend until smooth and silky, and keep for up to a week in the fridge.
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