3 Easy to Try Cocktail Drink Recipes for Date Night

Cocktail drinks can make an evening extra special, especially this month of love. After all, dinner dates are not complete without a glass of your favorite aperitif. If you are planning on a surprise date night at home, you can prepare these easy cocktail recipes!  

Rosemary Grapefruit and Ginger Beer Mimosa

Everyone loves a good cocktail to cap off a romantic date night. Impress your Valentine with a blend of Rosemary, Grapefruit, and Ginger Beer Mimosa. This modern twist on the classic mimosa recipe is ideal for a refreshing after-date drink!

Ingredients

Ginger beer

Fresh-squeezed or pre-made grapefruit juice

1 750mL or 25-ounce bottle of dry brut champagne (you can use sparkling water for a non-alcoholic version)

Fresh rosemary (for garnish)

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions

1. For Rosemary simple syrup: Bring sugar, water, and rosemary to a low boil until all the sugar is dissolved. Turn the heat down to simmer for one minute. Remove the pot from the heat and let the rosemary steep in the sugar water for 30 minutes. It is best to make this syrup the night before for ample steeping and cooling.
2. Combine equal parts ginger beer and grapefruit juice in a large glass pitcher. Add the rosemary simple syrup to your preferred level of sweetness.
3. Fill your cocktail glass with even amounts of the cocktail mix and dry brut champagne. You can use sparkling water as a non-alcoholic substitute. Garnish your cocktail with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Classic Negroni Cocktail

Start a date night on the right note with a Negroni. This classic cocktail stimulates your appetite before a meal. Master making a Negroni and mixing up gin, sweet vermouth, Campari bitters, and an orange slice on the rocks.   

Ingredients

1 ounce Campari

1 ounce sweet vermouth

1 ounce gin

Orange peel

Directions

1. Fill a cocktail glass with ice cubes or a single extra-large cube. 
2. Pour the Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin over ice and stir to combine.
3. Use a small paring knife for a strip of orange peel. Squeeze it to extract the oils, then rub it around the rim of the glass. Drop the peel into the glass and serve at once.

Blooming Hibiscus Cocktail

Elevate your after-date happy hour with a glass of the Blooming Hibiscus Cocktail. This fresh cocktail recipe uses three simple ingredients: hibiscus concentrate, gin, and lime juice.

Recipe by @thesocialsipper

Ingredients

Blooming Hibiscus Cocktail:

3 ounces gin

Juice of 1 lime

Hibiscus flowers, mint, lime round (for garnish)

¾ cup prosecco

Hibiscus Sparkler:

3 ounces gin

Juice of 1 lime

¾ cup hibiscus concentrate (recipe below)

¾ cup prosecco

Hibiscus flowers, mint, lime round, for garnish

Hibiscus Concentrate: 

¼ cup dried hibiscus flowers or 2 hibiscus tea bags

¼ cup sugar

1½ cups water

Directions

1. For the hibiscus concentrate:

Add hibiscus flowers or tea bags, sugar, and water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool, then strain into a jar.

2. For the Blooming Hibiscus Cocktail: 

Combine gin, lime juice, and hibiscus concentrate in a mixing glass with ice. Strain the cocktail into two gin glasses and garnish with a hibiscus flower.

3. For Hibiscus Sparkler: 

Stir gin, lime juice, and hibiscus concentrate in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into two drinking glasses over ice and top with prosecco. Garnish the drink with a hibiscus flower, mint sprig, and lime round.

Bring out your special cocktail glasses and keep the drinks flowing! Shop for classic and modern drinkware and barware accessories at crateandbarrel.com.ph.