Ladies and gentlemen, that time of year is once again upon us. The season of ~love~ is here in all its candy hearts, teddy bears, roses, and rom-com glory.

Who would have thought a holiday about love could be so polarizing? There is such a range of feelings towards Valentine's Day- from excitement to dread to indifference. But you know what transcends all of these feelings (or maybe is found at their intersection).

Alcohol.

Whether it’s a romantic evening for two, a Galentines’ Day celebration or a night spent in peaceful and admirable solitude, fun and festive cocktails are in order. Lucky for you, we saved you the pain of scouring Pinterest and came up with a handful of the best recipes for you to try.

The Pink Squirrel:

You’ll need equal parts crème de noyaux, crème de cacao and heavy cream. The red crème de noyaux gives this drink its pink hue. A little nutty, a little chocolatey, and perfect for after dinner. If you want to make it a frozen drink, substitute the heavy cream for ice cream. Top it with a skewered fruit of your choice. A half-cup of each ingredient will serve four.

The Pomegranate Gin Fizz:

Made with Pom Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice, gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, and club soda, this drink is fizzy and refreshing and a great alternative to the Pink Squirrel if you are looking for something lighter. You’ll want to do a dry shake to get the egg white to congeal into frothy goodness on top. Shake all of the ingredients together without ice or the club soda at first. With the help of the citrus from the lemon juice, the egg white will get frothy and light. Then add in your ice, shake it again, and finally add the club soda. The egg white adds a delightful bit of froth to the top of your drink and makes it feel all the more smooth going down.

Raspberry Moscato Cocktail:

Mix ¾ cup of dry ginger ale, ½ cup of raspberries, sugar, and 1 cup of chilled pink Moscato. Blend the raspberries, ginger ale, and sugar, then add the Moscato to the top. Freeze some of the extra raspberries to use as ice cubes that are both festive and won’t dilute your drink as they melt.

The Sweetheart Cocktail:

Nothing says V-Day like roses. Shake one fluid ounce of Ketel One vodka, one fluid ounce of rose petal liqueur, 1 ¾ fluid ounces of sweetened cranberry juice, and ½ fluid ounce of freshly-squeezed lime juice then fine-strain the mixture into your glass.

The Mary Pickford:

Two ounces of light rum, two ounces of pineapple juice, and one teaspoon of grenadine all shaken and fine-strained, and some cherries as a garnish.

The Cupid’s Arrow

This is a more labor-intensive cocktail if you’re ready to really get down and dirty this Valentine’s Day. You’ll need 1.5 ounces of vodka, ¾ ounce of blood orange liqueur, 1.5 ounces of orange juice, a splash of lemon juice, some chopped berries of your choice (go for strawberries if you really want to match the vibe), one teaspoon of sugar, ½ of a can of Sprite and some chocolate shavings for garnish. Combine the vodka, liquor, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar with a hearty shake. Wet the rims of your glasses and dip them in pink or red sugar (so cute, so festive), fill the glasses with ice or frozen fruit, pour your mixture, add the Sprite and add those chocolate shavings for a final flourish.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Shooters:

You’ll need ¼ cup of melted chocolate (ie. chocolate chips), three ounces of strawberry milk, 3 ounces of white chocolate liquor, one ounce of vodka, and a few strawberries for garnish. Dip the rims of your shot glasses in the melted chocolate. Shake the strawberry milk, liquor, and vodka together with ice for about 30 seconds or until cold. Pour the drink into your chocolate-coated shot glasses and top with a few strawberries.

There is an option or two on this list to accommodate whatever your Valentines’ Day plans look like. From solo to s/o to squad, take this opportunity to bring out your inner bartender and prepare some festive V-Day aphrodisiacs.

The Perfect Cocktails for Valentine's Day