Start the night off right with special Valentine’s Day cocktails. We’ve rounded up some pretty offerings, that will be sure to please your partner. Especially when they see how incredibly thoughtful you are.  

Wild Berry Margarita 

SMOLDERING NOTES: Seen in the photo at the top of this post, this is a margarita of a different sort, with smoky and sweet elements. The Mezcal Amarás Espadín Joven finishes with a velvety and salted texture before a small cinnamon touch takes over. For the person who acts sweet, but has a private wild side. 

Makes one cocktail

2 oz Mezcal Amarás Espadin Joven
2 oz Wild Berry Tea
3 oz fresh lime juice
garnish: blackberries and raspberries
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Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice; shake and strain into a cocktail glass; garnish with blackberries and raspberries.

Smoky Paloma

SECRET INGREDIENT: Get things smoldering. This darker, richer spin on the Paloma is the perfect way to explore the smoky depth of tequila’s smoldering cousin, mezcal and its match-up with citrus-y tones. For the person who looks innocent, but isn’t. 

Makes one cocktail

2 TB mezcal
3 tsp Cointreau
1 tsp agave syrup
1 pink grapefruit wedge
2 limes
Fever-Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit
garnish: slice of lime
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Fill a highball glass with ice cubes. Add the mezcal, Cointreau and agave syrup. Squeeze in the juice from the grapefruit wedge. Stir gently to make sure the agave syrup is incorporated. Top with Sparkling Pink Grapefruit. Halve the limes and squeeze in the juice. Garnish with the lime wedge.

Sicilian Shandy

A WHOLE LAGER LOVE: The shandy is a much-loved way to temper the strength of a lager or beer and is a wonderfully refreshing drink. The name comes from the old London term “shandygaff,” which was slang for beer mixed with lemon soda or ginger beer. For the experimental beer lover, who loves to mix it up. 

Makes one cocktail

A pinch of good salt
1 bottle (6.8 oz) Fever-Tree Sparkling Lemon
Premium lager to top
3 lime wedges
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Add the salt and Fever-Tree Sparkling Lemon to a beer glass. Top carefully with the lager so that the foam does not spill over the top. Squeeze the lime wedges into the drink, then drop them into the glass to garnish.

Pomegranate Port Sparkler

APHRODISIAC: The pomegranate is considered to be an aphrodisiac, according to ancient practices. Legend has it that the goddess Aphrodite planted the first pomegranate tree which has since been associated with fertility. (See more aphrodisiacs in Hobnob’s Valentine’s Day menu.) This drink is for the person who shows a wonderful complexity—and knows how to handle things. 

2 parts Sandeman Porto Fine Ruby
.5 part cognac
1 part fresh pomegranate juice
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Top with prosecco or champagne, garnish with citrus wheels and mint.

—created by Sonja Carlstrom of @theartfulcocktail 

Mozart Classic Choctail Red Berry Chocolate Temptation

CHOCOLATE UNDERTONES: The Mozart Coffee Chocolate Liqueur will supply sweetnes AND stimulation. Mixed with the raspberry flavors, the bright red color speaks volumes. For the person who likes it sweet, and thinks the night has just begun with this one. 

Makes one cocktail

1 oz Mozart Coffee Chocolate Liqueur
1 oz vodka
2/3 oz raspberry liqueur
1 2/3 oz raspberry puree (keep a frozen container of this in stock for adding to desserts and cocktails)
garnish: fresh raspberries
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Mix all the ingredients with ice cubes in a cocktail shaker or any screw-top jar. Pour into a cocktail glass filled with about three cubes. Garnish with a skewer of raspberries.

Mozart Chocolate Punch Cake

THE TRICK IS IN THE POUR: The beauty of this oversized shot is in the layering. You get double the dose of chocolate from each of the liqueurs, and some added alcohol content from the rum. Serve with pretty little cakes for the ultimate presentation. For the person who is always sweet and beautifully put-together. 

Makes one cocktail

1.5 oz Mozart Chocolate Cream Liqueur
.5 oz Jamaica rum
1.5 oz Mozart Strawberry White Chocolate Liqueur
3 oz heavy cream
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Prepare the choctail in a short glass. To create the brown layer, pour Mozart Chocolate Cream Liqueur into the glass, then add the Jamaican rum. For the pink layer pour Mozart Strawberry Liqueur SLOWLY into the glass, so as not to mix with the first layer. (You might have to practice this, and taste one ahead of time!) Top with the cream, again as slowly as possible, to keep all the layers separate.

See more Valentine’s Day suggestions:

More Raspberry Liqueur-based cocktails

The Philter: A Tantalizing-Tricked Up-Tequila Love Potion

Hobnob’s Aphrodisiac Party Theme