Since Valentine’s Day is a huge on-premise occasion, most restaurants offer special menus and festive themed cocktails. (Don’t miss our 2019 Valentine’s Day recipe roundup!) These are just a few holiday beverage offerings that caught our eye this year.
Rambler, a bi-level bar and bistro in San Francisco’s Hotel Zeppelin, is offering a dedicated Galentine’s Day cocktail menu featuring four distinct cocktails priced at $10 each; 10% of all proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood.
The Galentine’s cocktails include the Mighty Aphrodite (smoked silver tequila, lime, agave, jalapeno bitters, chile salt); Blushing Geisha (Toki Suntory japanese whiskey, yuzu, ginger beer, Peychaud’s bitters, shiso); R.B.G. (Absolut Elyx vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon twist); and Clover Club (Zephyr gin, raspberry, lemon, egg white.
Opaline Bar & Brasserie in Washington, DC, puts its own spin on the ubiquitous box of Valentine’s chocolates: It’s offering a box of chocolate cocktails. The drinks can be purchased individually or the box of three is priced at $30.
The chocolate box cocktails (shown atop) include the Chocolate Covered Cherry, made with Tito’s vodka, crème de cacao white, crème de cacao dark and maraschino cherry ($12); Le Pont de Arts, with Tito’s vodka, Bailey’s, Tuaca and hot chocolate ($12); and I Have a Crush on You, with Kahlua, Godiva dark, Godiva white, and butterscotch schnapps ($13)
On the non-alcoholic specialty drinks front, Chicago-based roasting company and café Passion House is serving a Valentine’s Day-themed latte for a limited time in February. Available only from Feb. 8 through Feb. 17, the Pink Matter latte ($5.50) is made with sweetened condensed coconut milk and rosewater syrup, colored with beetroot powder and garnished with dried rose petals.
And for those who are momentarily down on love, Tratto Italian restaurant in San Francisco’s Union Square offers the Loveless cocktail. Head bartender Ian Elizondo created this tribute to the band My Bloody Valentine’s album Loveless. The cocktail is made with Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Cardamaro, Gran Classico, green Chartreuse and activated charcoal for “a smoky ode to love’s end.”