Celebrate Sipping and Savoring with The Best of Valentine’s Beverages

Sip and savor the best of beverages this Valentine’s with these romantic recipes in a celebration of the senses. Whether it’s cocktails or mocktails, tea or coffee you “heart” most, enjoy these ravishing recipes to wet your whistle this heart-full holiday!

ROMANTIC RAVISHING RED FRUITALICIOUS SPRITZER

Simple Syrup Ingredients:

3-4 stalks rhubarb (chopped)

6-8 strawberries

8-10 raspberries

2 cups pomegranate

2 cups tea (fruitalicious black, green, white, or tea of choice)

1 cup sugar or honey/maple syrup or 10 drops of stevia for sugar-free

prosecco/champagne or tonic water/seltzer for virgin mocktail (chilled)

½ cup cranberry/pomegranate juice

½ cup romantic ravishing red fruitalicious simple syrup

raspberries muddled (optional)

ice to serve colder (optional)

strawberry (slit down middle) to garnish

Instructions:

Boil rhubarb and pomegranate in tea with sugar or sweetener and add de-stemmed strawberries and raspberries.
Stir regularly and after several mins. or so, taste test to gauge sweetness and readiness.
May need to add additional tea or water depending on thickness consistency.
Remove from heat and let cool several minutes before straining.
When cool enough, pour into a glass jar sealed with lid for storage for about a month or so.

PRETTY IN PINK ROSEWATER ARNOLD PALMER

Ingredients:

1 oz. rosewater

3 oz. strawberry or raspberry lemonade

1½ oz. tea of choice

1 oz. rose or liquor of choice (vodka/gin/tequila)

1-3 rosebuds and/or lemon round/wedge to garnish

NAUGHTY ‘N NICE DIRTY CHAI MARTINI (4 COCKTAILS)

Ingredients:

4 chai black tea bags

2 oz. espresso or strong coffee

4 oz. liquor (vodka/gin/vermouth)

1 Tbs. maple syrup/honey/blue agave

1 cup plant-based milk (e.g., oat/hemp/cashew/almond/coconut)

handful of ice (optional)

star anise/cinnamon stick to garnish

⅛ tsp. pink Himalayan salt

Instructions:

Stir in sweetener and salt until well blended and set aside to cool.

1. Brew espresso or strong coffee and let cool.
2. Combine tea, coffee, milk, liquor (optional), and ice into shaker.

Boil water in pot and steep 4 chai black tea bags for 4-5 min. and discard.

Strain into 4 martini glasses and garnish with star anise/cinnamon sticks.

Recipes adapted from: withfoodandlove.com/dirty-chai-martini/

HEART & SOUL ROOIBOS TEA BLEND (CAFFEINE-FREE)

Ingredients:

rooibos (red tea)

rose petals/buds

hibiscus

lavender

mint (medley of peppermint and spearmint)

LOVELY IN LOVE POTION BELLINI

Ingredients:

2-3 oz. pink grapefruit or white grape juice

4 medium peaches for puree or 4 oz. peach nectar

1 cup peach white tea, green tea or tea of choice

½ Tbs. sugar/maple syrup/honey or ¾ oz. simple syrup

4 oz. sparkling rose, champagne, or prosecco

½ oz. grenadine

pink grapefruit or peach wedge to garnish

Instructions:

Add pitted and sliced peaches to blender with cooled tea and sugar/sweetener and puree until liquid becomes a smooth pulp.
Pour desired amount of puree or nectar into champagne flute.
In shaker, mix grapefruit/grape juice and grenadine and add into the peach puree/nectar.
Slowly stir in sparkling rose/champagne/prosecco.
Garnish with pink grapefruit or peach wedge.

Recipe adapted from: thespruceeats.com/bellini-cocktail-recipe-759283

PASSIONATE PINK HOT COCOA

Ingredients:

5 cups milk of choice (dairy or plant-based)

2 cups white chocolate (bars or chips)

1½ tsp. vanilla or almond extract

strawberry syrup (sweeten to taste and desired pinkness color)

whipped cream

pink/red sprinkles

strawberry slices (with slit down center) to garnish

Instructions:

Heat milk until just before it starts to steam and stir in white chocolate, continuously stirring until fully melted and blended in with milk.
Lower heat to simmer and stir in strawberry syrup and vanilla or almond extract.
Pour into mugs, top with whipped cream and sprinkles and serve while hot.

Recipe adapted from: freshcoasteats.com/valentines-hot-chocolate/

PURE PASSION POMEGRANATE SPICED CIDER

Ingredients:

3 cups pomegranate juice

1½ cup cranberry juice

4 cups apple juice

2½ Tbs. maple syrup/honey

1 orange (cut into slices with some reserved for garnishing)

2 cinnamon sticks

4 star anise

1 tsp. whole cloves

½ tsp. allspice

1 drop pure orange essential oil (optional)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan or pot and boil for 5 mins.
Reduce heat to low and continue simmering for about 30 min.
Taste test to determine if more steeping of spices is required.
When ready to serve, add an orange to each mug as a garnish.

Recipe adapted from: goodlifeeats.com/spiced-pomegranate-apple-cider/

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Susan B. B. Schabacker

Forsyth Magazines writer since 2018. Susan Schabacker was blessed to be adopted as a baby and made her journey from South Korea to Massachusetts where she arrived safely into her adoptive mother’s loving arms. She later moved to New Mexico and, after a few years, moved to Winston-Salem, NC, to study classical ballet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts from the eighth grade through high school. Susan has lived in the Piedmont Triad area for nearly 20 years and had the opportunity to travel to Budapest, Hungary; London, UK; and Beijing, China, where she studied abroad through Elon University. In Stockholm, Sweden, she had a marketing internship at Hachette-Filipacchi, publisher of Elle and other magazines. She graduated with a B.A. in Corporate Communications and a minor in Dance from Elon University. Susan loves writing and is pleased to have written for Winston-Salem Journal’s "Teen Page," Triad Living, KernersvilleMagazine, and of course, Forsyth Mags. She is a co-author of a children’s book, Huckleberry Robin, based on a three-generation true family story. Susan is grateful for her faith, family, and friends and is happy and excited to be part of the Forsyth Mags team. She spreads the word about Forsyth magazines and enjoys reading and sharing them with her family and friends every month.

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