Skip to content

Top Navigation

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAYS
  • ENTERTAINING
  • HOME
  • GARDENING
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING
  • WEDDINGS
  • SHOP
  • DIY
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS
  • LIFE
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Pin FB

Explore Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 7 Things to Do in the Morning to Be Healthier and More Productive

      7 Things to Do in the Morning to Be Healthier and More Productive

      Kick-start your day by making habits out of these mood-boosting tips. Read More
    • Should You Refrigerate Bananas?

      Should You Refrigerate Bananas?

      It's one of your favorite fruits, but does it belong on the counter or in the refrigerator? Read More
    • This 3-Ingredient Homemade Weed Killer Uses Vinegar to Safely Remove Pesky Growths from Your Garden

      This 3-Ingredient Homemade Weed Killer Uses Vinegar to Safely Remove Pesky Growths from Your Garden

      A few easy-to-find ingredients are all you need to create a powerful formula that squashes weeds. Read More
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD
    Our 20 Most Popular Recipes for Summer

    Our 20 Most Popular Recipes for Summer

    • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Cooking How-Tos
    • Baking
    • Menu Planning
    • Food News & Trends
    • Wine
    • Mastering the Holiday Meal
    • What's for Dinner
    • All Recipes
  • HOLIDAYS

    HOLIDAYS

    See All HOLIDAYS
    The Most Patriotic Flowers for the Fourth of July, According to Symbolism

    The Most Patriotic Flowers for the Fourth of July, According to Symbolism

    Show your love of country by displaying these varieties on America's birthday.
    • Father's Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • New Year's Eve
    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patricks Day
    • Passover
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
  • ENTERTAINING

    ENTERTAINING

    See All ENTERTAINING
    How to Start Entertaining Friends and Family More Regularly

    How to Start Entertaining Friends and Family More Regularly

    Make gathering with loved ones a priority.
    • Seasonal Entertaining & Decorating
    • Baby Shower Ideas
    • Dinner Party Ideas
    • You're Invited
  • HOME

    HOME

    See All HOME
    We're Putting Up Walls Again—Is the Open Floor Plan on Its Way Out?

    We're Putting Up Walls Again—Is the Open Floor Plan on Its Way Out?

    We asked the experts to weigh in on this popular home design concept.
    • Home Design & Decor
    • Paint Colors & Palettes
    • DIY Home Projects
    • The Well-Kept Home
  • GARDENING

    GARDENING

    See All GARDENING
    A Month-by-Month Hydrangea Care Guide

    A Month-by-Month Hydrangea Care Guide

    Confused about when to do what to your favorite flowering shrubs? We have you covered.
    • Container Gardening
    • Flower Gardens
    • Houseplants
    • Landscaping
    • Vegetable Gardens
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    How to Wash Pillows

    How to Wash Pillows

    They're an essential element of a comfortable bed, so keep yours fresh and in their best shape ever with these expert-approved tips.
    • Cleaning
    • Storage & Organization
    • Laundry & Linens
  • WEDDINGS

    WEDDINGS

    See All WEDDINGS
    Who Pays for What for the Wedding?

    Who Pays for What for the Wedding?

    Get the traditional rules for who pays for the wedding details.
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Party
    • Wedding Planning & Advice
    • Wedding Ceremony & Reception
    • Wedding Jewelry
    • Dresses & Style
    • Wedding Beauty & Wellness
    • Wedding Registry
    • Wedding Showers & Parties
    • Love & Marriage
    • Wedding Travel
  • SHOP
  • DIY

    DIY

    See All DIY
    How to Melt and Reuse the Leftover Wax from Candles

    How to Melt and Reuse the Leftover Wax from Candles

    Our easy melt-and-pour method saves the last bit of this home essential.
    • Dyeing
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Kids' Crafts
    • Knitting
    • Paper Crafts
    • Sewing
    • Rescue & Revamp
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    Can Rice Water Really Encourage Hair Growth?

    Can Rice Water Really Encourage Hair Growth?

    This buzzy ingredient is a star player in many new-age hair care products.
    • Beauty
    • Health & Wellness
    • Live Well
  • LIFE

    LIFE

    See All LIFE
    • Family
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • Net Worth
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. marthastewart.com
  2. Holiday Planning & Ideas
  3. Valentine's Day
  4. You'll Want to Sip These Valentine's Day Cocktails with Your Sweetheart
Mastering the Holiday Meal Franchise Logo

You'll Want to Sip These Valentine's Day Cocktails with Your Sweetheart

Marie Viljoen, Freelance Writer
By Marie Viljoen Updated January 12, 2022
Skip gallery slides
Pin
citrus dreaming cocktails and copper cocktail shaker
Credit: Mike Krautter

Rosy, romantic drinks—like Champagne cocktails, pomegranate cosmopolitans, and a martini garnished with a heart—will set the mood for a special night.

Start Slideshow

1 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
cranberry champagne cocktail
Credit: Bryan Gardner

What makes a good cocktail for Valentine's Day? We have some thoughts. Color, of course, is a great place to start. Our beating hearts are red, and scarlet hearts are big on February 14th. Luckily, red is easily acquired in terms of good apéritif stalwarts like Aperol, Campari, cassis, and sweet vermouth. Blackberry-rich Chambord is delicious when judiciously dashed into a festive drink. And seasonal fruits are ready to help: cranberries, pomegranate, and blood orange are not only vivid, but very acidic and interesting when well-matched with their liquor-counterpart.

We love to drink the season, and other cold-weather fruits are readily available. The aromatic zests of citrus add complexity to cocktails, their natural oils offering the detail every thoughtful mouthful requires. And there is the sense of festivity and play. What heralds a special occasion more than the pop (or the pfffft, if you are discrete) of a cork? If you're feeling fancy, make it Champagne, but know that plenty of sparkling wines are just as good. Budget-friendly cavas and proseccos and a flock of other dry sparkling wines fit the bill, and you can substitute them for any mixed drink calling for fizz.

In our collection of Valentine's Day cocktails, we have had fun with color, seasonal interest, bubbles, and creative but respectful improvisation on some beloved classics. You'll find a Paloma spiked with cranberry and a Manhattan kissed by Cassis. And we may just have been unable to choose between no fewer than four Champagne cocktails, each with a unique, celebratory twist. The drink you see right here is a refreshing American riff on the classic Kir Royale, and it swaps the usual blackcurrant liqueur for cranberry sauce, ready-made or homemade.

1 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Kumquat Champagne Cocktail

med105767_1210_food108.jpg
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

The aromatic skins of impossibly cute kumquats transform dry Champagne into a sunny walk in a citrus grove. Just close your eyes and dream about your next trip.

2 of 15

3 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Pomegranate Cosmopolitans

pomegranate cosmo cocktail drink
Credit: Bryan Gardner
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

In this suave interpretation of a Cosmopolitan, use pomegranate juice in place of the usual cranberry. Fresh lime juice wakes the shaken drink while orange liqueur smooths the tart edges.

3 of 15

Advertisement

4 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Apérol Gin Punch

farm punch
Credit: Paola + Murray
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

If you're gathering with your loved ones, this rosy Lillet, gin, and Apérol punch is just the thing to serve. We love that it's bright with botanicals.

4 of 15

5 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Cranberry Manhattan

cranberry manhattan cocktail
Credit: Bryan Gardner
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Whisky, cranberry sauce, vermouth, and dash of bitters make a very good, colorful drink.

5 of 15

6 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Bleeding Heart Martini

Bleeding Heart Martini
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Pickled baby beets bleed beautifully into clear, cold gin and add a sophisticated nibble to your last sip.

6 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Manhattan Kir Royal

manhattan kir royale
Credit: David Loftus
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

The addition of vermouth and Angostura steers a classic Kir Royal into Manhattan territory—the meeting of two great cocktails, like two well-suited humans. Cassis and amber bitters turn it appropriately pink.

7 of 15

8 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Campari, Gin, and Orange Liqueur

Campari, Gin, and Orange cocktail
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This three-ingredient cocktail is just as the name suggests: It's an upgrade on the classic Campari-orange juice combo and is made crimson by Campari and balanced by the spicy bitter-orange sweetness of the liqueur Créole Shrubb by Clement, blended on the sunny Caribbean isle of Martinique.

8 of 15

9 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Chambord Royale

chambord royale
Credit: Anna Williams
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Can you have too many Champagne cocktail recipes in your repertoire? No, you cannot. This sparkler calls on Chambord for color and character—the French blackberry liqueur tints your drink cerise and reminds you that summer will return.

9 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Cranberry Paloma

cranberry spritz cocktail
Credit: Bryan Gardner
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Cranberries are underappreciated as a cocktail influencer. Their tannins and astringency add body to drinks, and then there is that color. Combining grapefruit with this native American favorite makes for a brilliant interpretation of the peerless (yet pale) tequila drink.

10 of 15

11 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Venus Blush Cocktail

Venus Blush Cocktail
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Prosecco and Apérol cut with blood orange juice and seltzer is a gorgeously low ABV (alcohol by volume) refresher for a Valentine's breakfast or brunch. Pass the French toast!

11 of 15

12 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Pom Surprise

pom sunrise cocktail
Credit: Raymond Hom
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Antioxidant-rich pomegranate juice with freshly squeezed tangerines and their intense zest are shaken up with good vodka and bitters, making this cocktail positively healthful.

12 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Aperol Negroni

citrus-dreaming-cocktail-3323-d112806.jpg
Credit: Mike Krautter
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Gin is blended with Apérol, sweet and dry vermouths, and poured into a glass rinsed with anise-strong Absinthe to create this red-hued sip.

13 of 15

14 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Cranberry Martini

Cranberry Martini
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Freezing the martini glasses adds a sense of occasion to the condensation that will gather on your glasses of your ruby drink as you sip.

14 of 15

15 of 15

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Red Wine Spritzer

red wine spritzer
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Here's a drink for the lucky Valentines sipping in a mild winter climate. Red wine is seriously undervalued as a cocktail ingredient; its fuller body (from grape-skin tannins) lends itself well to gentle blending. A dash of a bittersweet apéritif like Apérol puts a wiggle in its hips, and a spritz of seltzer lightens the alcohol load.

15 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Marie Viljoen

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    `
    Mastering the Holiday Meal Franchise Logo
    View Series
    • What to Cook on the Grill This Father's Day
    • Make Mom Lunch Not Brunch with Our Marvelous Mostly Make-Ahead Menu
    • Mother's Day Baking Projects You and Your Mom Can Tackle Together
    • What Does Kosher for Passover Mean?
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 15
    2 of 15 Kumquat Champagne Cocktail
    3 of 15 Pomegranate Cosmopolitans
    4 of 15 Apérol Gin Punch
    5 of 15 Cranberry Manhattan
    6 of 15 Bleeding Heart Martini
    7 of 15 Manhattan Kir Royal
    8 of 15 Campari, Gin, and Orange Liqueur
    9 of 15 Chambord Royale
    10 of 15 Cranberry Paloma
    11 of 15 Venus Blush Cocktail
    12 of 15 Pom Surprise
    13 of 15 Aperol Negroni
    14 of 15 Cranberry Martini
    15 of 15 Red Wine Spritzer

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Martha Stewart

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Customer Service
    • Media Kit
    • Martha's Blog
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • FAQ
    • Corporate
    • International
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMartha Stewart is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Martha Stewart. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.marthastewart.com

    Sign in

    View image

    You'll Want to Sip These Valentine's Day Cocktails with Your Sweetheart
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.