Strawberry And Rose Valentine's Day Cocktail

Whether you're preparing a romantic dinner for two, enjoying a cocktail before an evening out, or hosting a galentine's gathering, a special drink can make the occasion feel like a real celebration. Nothing says Valentine's Day like roses, and we've captured their romantic essence in our strawberry and rose cocktail. This simple yet elegant concoction is brought to us by recipe developer Catherine Brookes, and with its vibrant color and delicious blend of sweet and fruity flavors, it's sure to set the mood for a special evening.

We mash fresh strawberries with a touch of sugar to enhance their natural sweetness and add lemon juice for a contrasting zesty kick. The infusion of rose syrup makes this cocktail truly special. It gives it a unique floral flavor, offering a delicate yet fragrant taste that complements the juicy notes of the strawberries and takes the drink to a new level. A splash of gin adds a botanical twist, while club soda finishes everything off with a lovely fizz.

Served chilled and garnished with a whole juicy strawberry, this cocktail is perfect for serving alongside some pre-dinner appetizers, or even some post-dinner treats (we're thinking chocolate-dipped strawberries). So, keep things simple and fresh with this effortlessly delicious strawberry and rose cocktail.

Diced strawberries give this cocktail plenty of fruity flavor. Once these have been mashed up with a little sugar, they can go into the cocktail shaker with some ice, gin, lemon juice, and rose syrup. You can find rose syrup in specialty stores or more easily online. If you don't have this to hand, you can mix half a teaspoon of rose water with a tablespoon of simple syrup. Once shaken and strained, the strawberry mixture is topped with club soda and the glass can be garnished with a whole strawberry.

Mash together the diced strawberries and sugar in a bowl.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.

Add the mashed strawberry mixture, gin, lemon juice, and rose syrup to the shaker.

Shake well to combine.

Strain into a glass.

Top with the club soda.

Garnish the glass with a whole fresh strawberry.

Scatter over some edible rose petals if desired.

The strength of this cocktail can easily be customized to your taste. For a more subtle alcoholic addition, skip the gin and sub in some rosé wine, which will enhance the color with its soft pink hue. You could also add champagne or rosé champagne in place of (or as well as) the gin and club soda. You can enhance the rosy color and flavor with the addition of a rose gin, which is gin infused with rose petals and other botanicals. 

It's simple to transform this strawberry and rose cocktail into a mocktail, ensuring that everyone can join in the Valentine's Day festivities whether they prefer a drink with or without spirits. To create a non-alcoholic version, simply omit the gin while keeping the star ingredients intact to capture the essence of the original drink. Alternatively, you can experiment with alcohol-free gin, which is designed to preserve the warmth and flavor of the traditional spirit without the alcohol content. An alcohol-free vodka or tequila would also make a great replacement here. Serve your personalized creation garnished with a whole strawberry, and let the fruity, floral taste unfold. 

We can wholeheartedly recommend the summery combination of strawberry and rose, but there's room for exploration with this pretty cocktail. If you get creative with different fruits you can open up some exciting new flavor combinations. You can experiment with different berries like raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries to add a unique twist to the cocktail. As with the strawberries, simply muddle them with a little sugar before adding them to the shaker. Another unique pairing to complement the floral notes of rose is pomegranate seeds. These will preserve the pinkish-red hue as well, as would muddled fresh cherries. 

You can also experiment with various fruit purees to add subtle notes of flavor to the cocktail. Up the romance factor with the addition of passion fruit puree, add a tropical twist with guava or mango puree, or double down on the strawberry flavor with a dash of strawberry puree. Maintain the base of lemon juice and rose syrup, and top with fizzy club soda as before. You'll find that these core ingredients pair well with a variety of fruit choices.