Valentine’s Day is coming up fast, so either you’re panicking because you forgot to buy a gift for your better half or you’re wallowing in depression because you don’t have a date. Either way, you probably need a drink, and we’ve got you covered.
Here are four under-100-calorie Valentine’s Day cocktails appropriate for every scenario, created by local mixologist Gina Chersevani.
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HEART BEETS
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces Maker’s Mark
3 dashes Angostura bitters
3 dashes orange bitters
1 ounce sugar beet syrup*
Directions:
In a rocks glass, combine all ingredients, stir for 30 rotations, and garnish with an orange twist.
*Sugar beet syrup recipe
1 cup shredded sugar beets (skin on)
1 cup water
To make the beet syrup: Combine ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes. Take off heat and strain into a glass container. Makes about 1¼ cups of liquid.
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SINGLE AND READY TO MEZCAL
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces mezcal
1 ounce lime juice
3 ounces steeped and chilled hibiscus tea (any variety)
1 ounce agave nectar
Directions:
In a shaker three-quarters filled with ice, combine all the ingredients, shake until frothy, and pour over fresh ice in a collins glass garnished with a lime wheel.
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IT TAKES TWO
Ingredients:
2 ounces Stoli White Pomegranik vodka
2 ounces grapefruit juice
2 ounces pear juice (fresh juice, not store-bought)
2 dashes cinnamon
2 dashes ginger powder
2 tablespoons agave nectar
Directions:
In a shaker three-quarters filled with ice, combine all the ingredients, shake until frothy, and double-strain into two rocks glasses with one large (two-by-two-inch) ice cube in each. Zest with grapefruit peel.
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NUDE A PEEL
Ingredients:
4 ounces hot water
1.5 ounces El Dorado white rum
1 whole orange peel
1 whole lemon peel
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 cinnamon stick
Directions:
In a glass mug, combine rum and agave, then add hot water and stir. Add the orange and lemon peels (try to keep the peel in one whole piece, because you can intertwine the orange and lemon together). Drop the cinnamon stick into the middle of the peels and let stand for a minute before serving.