Bring some passion to your Valentine’s Day with these 2 simple cocktails

Last year I shared two Valentine’s Day cocktails that were the perfect protest to the traditional Valentine’s Day festivities. I encouraged people to embrace sitting at home in their PJs with a drink and … yeah, that didn’t age well. I admit it. After a year of doing absolutely nothing BUT sitting around in our PJs and drinking, that prospect is not new or exciting. Nor does it make for a very sexy Valentine’s Day.

So how can you rev up Valentine’s Day with your sweetie, or yourself this year? Add some passion! Passionfruit that is. Passionfruit is one of my favorite flavors. It is extremely tart, and pairs nicely with something sweet. It has a very distinct tropical flavor. Being transported somewhere tropical is exactly what one needs when staying home for the umpteenth day, surrounded by cold and snow during a pandemic. So, instead of feeling blue, let these Valentine’s Day drinks cart you away to some place exotic with your boo.

The Valentine’s Bae

I like this drink because it’s easy as can be — 3 ingredients. As always, a twist on a classic — The Aperol Spritz. While a normal spritz can be a little bitter — the passionfruit juice, which can be found at most grocery stores, balances out the bitter making this trio cocktail a tropical triumph!

In a champagne flute or wine glass combine:

½ oz. Aperol

½ oz. passion fruit juice

Top with prosecco

Serve with a slice of blood orange to create some instant drama to your drink!

Sage Advice

My sage advice would be to stay home and mix up a batch of these with your babe. This drink has a few more ingredients making it a complex but satisfying whiskey drink. Mix all the ingredients together in a tin, shake and top with a sage leaf — the sexiest of all the herbs, yeah, I said it. You can sip and snuggle your Valentine’s night away.

2 oz. bourbon

½ oz. passion fruit juice

¼ oz. St. Germaine

½ oz. sage infused simple syrup (or plain simple is fine, too!)

1 oz. lime juice

Sage leaf — shaken in the tin, then an additional one for garnish.

Strain into a coupe, or serve on the rocks, enjoy!

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