The Best Valentine’s Day Cocktails

Sparkling wine has long been the beverage of choice for celebrating Valentine’s Day. But, though it may seem odd to many imbibers, not everyone loves bubbles. In fact, there are numerous online message boards populated with Champagne dissenters. “I hate it,” says one opinionated Redditor. “Most of it tastes like cheap white wine gone through a soda streamer.”

While we can agree to disagree (respectfully, of course), for those seeking to plan the most romantic Valentine’s Day ever, we’d like to offer an alternative to the effervescent norm: cocktails.

The following beverages, which range in color from delicate blush to blood red, have romance written all over them thanks to pretty presentations and complex flavor profiles (because what relationship isn’t complex?).

Ready to start shaking? Let’s go.

Gin Cocktails

Bloody Jasmine

Bartender Sam Ng is responsible for this ruby-hued sipper, an “Aussie twist” on the classic Jasmine cocktail. The Bloody Jasmine balances the bite of its bitter Campari and lemon juice with Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin, an Australian dry gin distilled with juice from Shiraz grapes.

The Classic Pink Lady

Grenadine is what gives the Pink Lady its iconic shade of pink, but gin and applejack deliver the drink’s one-two punch. The addition of one egg white delivers its characteristic foam.

Barbie Cocktail

One would be hard-pressed to find a drink that’s more pink than the Barbie Cocktail, created by former Wine Enthusiast editor Jacy Topps. The playful and sophisticated drink combines delicate rose petal-infused gin with floral elderflower liqueur, lemon, and cranberry juice to deepen the drink’s blush hue, along with just a touch of sparkling wine for a hint of effervescence.

Wine Cocktails

St. Charles Punch

Ruby Port and Cognac make for a hearty base in this versatile sipper. Depending on your mood—or climate—St. Charles Punch can be served either ice cold or warm like mulled wine.

Mulled Rosé with Ginger and Grapefruit

Feeling chilled this V-Day? Warm up some mulled rosé with ginger, which highlights a plethora of pink ingredients, including dry rosé wine, pink peppercorns, and grapefruit.

Hibiscus Sangria

This vibrantly-colored hibiscus sangria, already red from two bottles worth of red wine, gets an additional color boost from flor de jamaica, a species of hibiscus used to make a strikingly red infusion with a rich citrus flavor. Meanwhile, blanco tequila and triple sec ensure this sangria delivers a solid kick.

Red Wine Hot Chocolate

The only drink on this list without a crimson hue, this odd-sounding concoction is a social media darling. Red wine hot chocolate is a cozy number, combining creamy hot chocolate with spiced mulled wine. The warmth of chocolate (and red wine, of course) make it an ideal V-Day drink in our humble opinion, especially for those cuddling up on a cold winter evening.

Whiskey Cocktails

Mississippi Bourbon Punch

Throwing a V-Day shindig for a crowd this year? This colorful Mississippi bourbon punch is a batch cocktail ready to satisfy. The recipe—which features two bottles of dry white wine, grenadine, bourbon, and an assortment of fruit juices—serves 12 to 14 thirsty guests.

The Mad About You Cocktail

Opposites attract in this delicious drink that throws together an unlikely duo of bourbon and Madeira wine syrup. Mad About You’s bright red color makes this moody delight perfect for sipping with a special someone.

Perfect Manhattan

The pre-Prohibition era perfect Manhattan gets its reddish hue from a 50-50 mix of sweet and dry vermouth. Though there are countless Manhattan variations, this classic recipe features a bourbon base along with a couple dashes of bitters and a bourbon-infused cherry.

Rum Cocktails

Strawberry Daiquiri

Forget those slushy, overly sweet strawberry daiquiris of yore. This rose-hued, grown-up version gets a lift from bitter Fernet and earthy mezcal.

Longan’s Rum

Longan’s Rum is a pink daiquiri that would look more at home in a sci-fi movie than in a bar, but the combination of yellow Chartreuse, Falernum liqueur, longan dragonfruit syrup, and lemon juice give the potion vibrant, tropical flavors that are hard to resist.

The E.P.C.

The E.P.C., which stands for Equal Parts Cocktail, is a great batch cocktail for those who want to plan ahead. Combining white rum, Aperol, lime juice, and pineapple juice, it gets its ruby tone from homemade strawberry syrup.

Obispo de Cuba

Inspired by a little-known drink called the Cuban Bishop, the Obispo de Cuba gets its pretty-in-pink tone from red wine and rum. Shaken and strained into a coupe glass, the strange-sounding mix is balanced with lime juice and simple syrup.

Vodka Cocktails

Berry Revenge Cocktail

Some broken hearts need time in order to mend. Until then, there’s the Berry Revenge Cocktail, which calls on fiery green chile-infused vodka to produce a spicy Valentine’s Day concoction.

Cosmopolitan

Though it has its critics, the Cosmopolitan, a stalwart of ‘80s and ‘90s bar culture (and Sex and the City icon) is arguably the most famous pink drink in existence. Our version combines vodka, fresh lime juice, triple sec, and cranberry juice for a refreshing, well-balanced blend.

Agave Cocktails

Reposado Martinez

Aged tequila and red wine mix with maraschino liqueur to produce this sweet, booze-forward drink. A deep shade of red, the reposado Martinez is bound to make even the stoniest among us blush.

The Cousin Eddie

Robust mezcal, tawny Port, and coffee-infused Campari give this riff on the classic Negroni, dubbed The Cousin Eddie, a zippy update.

Blood Orange Margarita

Surprise the agave-lover in your life with this ruby red-hued riff on a classic cocktail. The blood orange margarita gets an infusion of drama thanks to the vivid juice of its namesake citrus. The sweet-and-sour fruit flavors are complemented with silver tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and agave nectar, making for a well-balanced drink that is sure to impress.

Naked and Famous

Long before the Aperol spritz revival, Aperol was making a splash alongside smoky mezcal in the Naked and Famous, a sunset-orange cocktail invented by former Death & Co. bartender Joaquín Simó in 2011. The drink combines the beloved liqueur with mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, and fresh lime juice.

Sparkling Wine Cocktails

Raspberry 75

The Raspberry 75 comes from Café La Trova in Miami’s Little Havana, where famed mixologist Julio Cabrera took a classic format (gin, lemon juice, sparkling wine) and pink-ified it with fresh raspberry.

Rosé French 75

The rosé French 75 takes things a step further, adding in pink wine to concoct a riff perfect for a Valentine’s Day brunch or aperitif.

Campari Spritz

Like a Negroni and a spritzer had a baby, the Campari Spritz is a vibrant low-alcohol sipper that is ideal for date night.

Vermouth Cocktails

Americano Cocktail

This Americano Cocktail balances bitter and sweet flavors without the booziness of similar drinks. Bright red in hue, it combines sweet vermouth, a bitter aperitivo or digestivo, and sparkling water. It’s essentially a lower-ABV version of a Negroni with the bitter bubbliness of an Aperol spritz (sans the sparkling wine).

Beericano

The bright-red Beericano cocktail is a perfect fit for anyone craving an Americano but wanting to add a bit more texture to the mix. Make sure to froth the beer before serving it to give your drink a foamy (and delicious) crown.

The Midnight Sun Dance

The blood-red Midnight Sun Dance, dreamed up by cocktail maven Fanny Chu, was inspired by the few weeks of summer when the sun never sets above the Arctic Circle. A marriage of vermouth, Sherry, aged rum, and dry sparkling wine, this festive drink gets a sweet and acidic lift from strawberry preserves.

Milano-Torino

A predecessor of the Negroni, the Milano-Torino has all the same qualities as its viral cousin—just remember to forget the gin.

N/A Cocktails

Non-Alcoholic Aperitif Spritz

Looking for a booze-free treat to sip this V-Day? This blush-colored non-alcoholic aperitif spritz, which gets its hue from Wilfred’s Bittersweet Aperitif—a Campari-adjacent, zero-proof offering—delivers effervescence from sparkling water and a floral aroma from elderflower syrup.

Faux-Groni

The Negroni is particularly well-suited for mocktails given the abundance of bitter N/A substitutes. Plus, this Faux-Groni is red, so it makes for a perfect sober V-Day celebration.

N/A Michelada

Thanks to a rapidly improving non-alcoholic beer market, there’s never been a better time to rethink classic beer-based cocktails. This non-alcoholic Michelada does it best, forgoing booze without sacrificing flavor or quality. Make sure to adorn the rim of your glass with chile powder (a rumored aphrodisiac).

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Last Updated: January 16, 2026