Valentine's Day cocktails (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Valentine's Day cocktails

7:00am Saturday 11th February 2012 in Lifestyle

Fancy a drink? Our drinks columnist Sam Wylie-Harris uncorks Valentine's Day cocktails A loving cup.

Love it or loathe it, Valentine's Day is the perfect evening for wine lovers to take the seductive route and add a splash of colour and passion to their after-dark soirees.

Impressing your loved one with a curious cocktail in the colour of love, or a sinfully delicious pretty pink fizz, will not only boost their happiness level but is sure to pull at the heart strings.

And for lessons in love, 2012 is a leap year, making February 29 the one day every four years when a woman can get down on one knee and propose to her other half.

So ladies, if you fancy popping the cork... and the question, a passionate red is a good way to seduce your knight in shining armour.

For sweethearts thirsty for a taste of Spain, try practising your mixology skills with Freixenet. Spain's most loved cava producer has created its 'three Rs' cocktail using Freixenet Cordon Rosado (£9.49, major supermarkets) to tantalise the taste buds. Here's the recipe: :: Rose, romance & Rosado 25ml Amaretto, 3 fresh strawberries, Freixenet Cordon Rosado.

Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Muddle the strawberries and pour the puree in the shaker. Add the Amaretto and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and top with Freixenet Cordon Rosado. Garnish with an edible rose petal.

Gin lovers who appreciate Hendrick's Gin (£24.69, 70cl, Waitrose) for its perfect pairing with a slice of cucumber may not be aware that this small-batch gin is also infused with rose petals, which gives Hendrick's its floral nose, and the signature freshness plays a good supporting role in a champagne cocktail.

:: Hendrick's rose 25ml Hendrick's Gin, 4-6 fresh raspberries, 25ml lychee juice, 15ml organic raspberry and rose cordial, champagne.

Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Muddle the raspberries and pour the puree into the shaker. Add the gin, lychee juice and cordial, then shake well. Strain into a chilled flute and top with champagne. Garnish with a raspberry.

Champagne is one of the most pleasing drinks in the world and our love and thirst for the French bubbles has crowned Great Britain the biggest consumer outside France, while our penchant for pink has made us the world's number one export market for rose champagne.

Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve is one of the most highly rated non-vintage white champagnes on the shelves, and its blushing sister deserves a dalliance.

Try flirting with Charles Heidsieck Rose Reserve (£56.50, www.harrods.com) and you may be hooked for life. This gorgeous coral pink has a wild strawberry nose, good strength and body, with a deliciously fruity palate and excellent freshness on the finish.

Another top flight producer, Lanson Rose Label Brut Rose (£35.99, Sainsbury's) holds the title of the best-selling rose in the UK, and it's easy to see why. A pale salmon colour with a delicate, red berry floral nose, fine beads of bubbles and good length, it's a real pleasure to drink.

A bit of a wild card, Pongracz Sparkling Brut Rose, Stellenbosch (£14.99, Morrisons) is a pretty South African sparkler that's delicious with smoked salmon and seafood light bites. Fresh berry flavours, a floral nose and feisty bubbles, what's not to love about this burst of summer fruits?

After the fizz-fest has settled, why not go vintage with a couple of lovely reds for a romantic night in.

For a glass of Italian warmth, try Appassionata del Antica Bottega ICT 2007 (£12.99, www.laithwaites.co.uk), an outstanding ruby red from Verona that lives up to its name. Velvety smooth with dense black cherries, blackberry fruit and soft, silky tannins, the rhapsody of flavours will delight the most discerning drinkers.

Alternatively, for a tempranillo temptress from Spain's most famous wine region, try Beronia Special Production Tempranillo 2009, Rioja (£11.49, Waitrose). Smooth and rich with fresh black fruit, toasted coffee notes, savoury herbs and warm spice on the finish, try serving it with a platter of cured meats or country-style pate.

Still rose and smoked salmon make wonderful bedfellows, and for a cherrylicious rose from south-west France, try Tanners French Rose, IGP des Cotes de Gascogne 2010 (£6.95, www.tanners-wines.co.uk). Expressive and well rounded, it's a vibrant blend of merlot, cabernet, syrah and tannat that can really stand up to food. Extremely quaffable with bags of fruit, it's also a delicious partner with a bowl of moules mariniere.

Best buy French fancy... To perk up a glass of white wine, turn it into a Kir cocktail by adding a dash of Gabriel Boudier Dijon Creme de Cassis (£9.82, 15% abv, 50cl, Sainsbury's). Gabriel Boudier's classic creme liqueur is made using three varieties of blackcurrant, including Noir de Bourgogne, and the splendid bottle will make a pretty addition to your cocktail cabinet.

Liquid news A nose for the finer things in life... Whisky lovers and cigar aficionados will be making room on their back bar for Dalmore's latest release, The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve (£70, selected whisky specialist retailers), when it arrives on the shelves in late February. Aged in 30-year-old oloroso sherry butts, American white oak and premier cru cabernet sauvignon wine barriques, Dalmore's master distiller has specifically created this wee dram as the perfect complement to a top Cuban cigar such as a Partagas No2. For more information, visit www.thedalmore.com