How do you put romance in a glass?
When mixing up a Valentine’s Day cocktail, local bartenders have to come up with formulas that are fun, festive, flavorful and also a little bit sexy.
Anyone can pour a glass of Champagne, but current trends in cocktails are demanding much more.
It’s all about layering flavors, said Anthony Mandala, beverage manager for The Office Bistro in Akron’s North Hill and Cuyahoga Falls.
On most cocktail menus, a drink called a Chocolate-Covered Cherry would typically consist of chocolate vodka and cherry liqueur.
That’s not the case with the love potion that Mandala will be mixing up for customers on Valentine’s Day.
His Chocolate-Covered Cherry cocktail starts with a dark port that brings flavors of black cherry to the mix, then layers on even more flavor with a cherry liqueur. Sweetness comes from vanilla syrup and the chocolate from a few shakes of chocolate flavored bitters.
A garnish with flower petals and chewy cherry candies coated in dark chocolate add to the richness of the cocktail.
“It’s really more of a craft cocktail,” Mandala said.
It’s sweet, but it’s potent and meant for sipping, not gulping the way some sweet cocktails and flavored martinis are downed.
While Champagne and other sparkling wines like prosecco or cava always will be popular, Office owner Steve Turner said guests often are looking for something new and special to try on Valentine’s Day.
Even with holiday standards like a chocolate martini, on Valentine’s Day, they’ll be dressed up with raspberry, strawberry or even peanut butter flavors, Turner said.
Bob Buck, operating partner of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Copley Township, said like the current craft beer trend, craft cocktails — drinks that include layers of flavors beyond the basic liquor and mixer — are a hot trend.
When an occasion like Valentine’s Day comes around, beverage staff sees it as a time to really showcase what they can do, he said.
“Craft cocktails are very popular and trendy now. They have a lot of fresh ingredients,” he said. Buck said the restaurant’s beverage staff has had to up its game to cater to a new generation of cocktail drinkers who are looking for more complexity in their drinks.
“No longer is it good enough just to shake a good martini,” he said.
Instead of using bottled fruit purees, bartenders are muddling their own fresh fruits right in the glass, and layering flavors to create unique blends. “They really are crafting the cocktails,” Buck said.
For Valentine’s Day, the beverage staff created two special drinks, a “his and hers,” Buck said.
For her, Fleming’s is offering the Venetian Valentine, which Buck said “was inspired by our desire to have something slightly sweet, elegant, sparkling and festive.”
For him, Fleming’s created the Mint to Be, made with Jack Daniel’s brand Gentleman Jack, a twice-filtered Tennessee whiskey. Buck said brown liquors like whiskey and bourbon are very popular now, and the restaurant wanted to create a drink that would play on their popularity.
All of the drinks can be mixed up at home easily, but they do require a few special ingredients from the liquor store.
Here are the recipes to try out at home with your valentine:
CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY
1½ oz. port wine
1 oz. black cherry liqueur
Splash of vanilla simple syrup (see note)
Dash (3 drops) of chocolate bitters
Ice
Chocolate covered cherry candy, for garnish
Flower petals, for garnish
Combine port, cherry liqueur, vanilla syrup and chocolate bitters in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to combine well.
Strain into cocktail glass. Drink will be frothy if properly shaken.
Garnish with a skewer of candy and petals.
Makes one drink.
Editor’s note: You can purchase vanilla syrup or make your own. To make vanilla simple syrup, combine equal parts granulated sugar and cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until sugar is completely dissolved. Place two vanilla beans in a heat-proof jar or bottle. Pour syrup over beans. Allow to steep for 8 hours or longer. Remove beans. Store syrup in refrigerator for up to a week.
— The Office Bistro, Akron and Cuyahoga Falls
VENETIAN VALENTINE
½ oz. muscat dessert wine
½ oz. elderflower liqueur
4 oz. prosecco
Luxardo cherry or maraschino cherry
Pour dessert wine and liqueur into tall flute glass. Add prosecco. Drop cherry into glass last to garnish. Cherry will sink to bottom.
— Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Copley Township
MINT TO BE
1½ oz. Gentleman Jack
1 oz. ginger liqueur
2 oz. pomegranate juice
½ oz. simple syrup (see note)
8 fresh mint leaves
Pour all ingredients, except mint leaves, into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into barrel glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint leaves.
Makes one drink.
Editor’s note: You can purchase simple syrup or make your own. To make, combine equal parts granulated sugar and cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool completely. Refrigerate in jar or bottle for up to one week.
— Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Copley Township
Lisa Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or at labraham@thebeaconjournal.com. Find me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter @akronfoodie or visit my blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/lisa.