TOP FIVE VALENTINE'S DRINKS

So, you've decided to dodge the over-priced Valentine's menus and avoid the bars full of couples trying to 'out-couple' each other, and entertain at home. Below are a few suggestions of delicious drinks you can serve your lover....

Camitz Sparkling Passion Martini

Camitz Sparkling Passion Martini
Ingredients
1 passion fruit
10ml strawberry liqueur
20ml Xante Pear liqueur
20ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
40ml Camitz Sparkling Vodka

Method
Squeeze half the passion fruit, both liqueurs and the lemon juice into the shaker with some cubed ice. Shake, strain into a chilled martini glass and top carefully with the Camitz Vodka. The great thing about Camitz, is that it's Vodka is sparkling, giving this cocktail a fizzy twang! Garnish with the other half of the passion fruit - as pictured. Delicious!

 Dooleys Toffee Toddy, made with Dooley’s Original Toffee & Vodka, £11.99 (70cl),
http://www.dooleysoriginal.co.uk/

The Dooleys Toffee Toddy:
Looking for a new, fresh and exciting winter warmer to bring some added spice this Valentine’s Day? Some top barmen came together to create this rich, spicy drink....

Ingredients
1 part Dooley’s Original Toffee & Vodka
1 part milk
1 part double cream
1/2 part cognac
Whole nutmeg or ground nutmeg
Cinnamon sticks
Apple and orange peel (optional)

Method
Pour the Dooley’s, milk, cream and cognac into a pan, add cinnamon sticks, a sprinkle of nutmeg and chopped apple (optional) and orange peel, gently heat over a stove for 5-10 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of nutmeg. This rich, spicy drink is delicious - and a great way to warm up on a cold night.

Hardy's Sparkling wines (Rose pictured), half price, £5.99
at Tesco

Valentine's this year has very inconveniently fallen on a Monday, so, if you don't have time to collect ingredients and prepare for making cocktails, pick up a bottle of fizz en-route home. If you've spent all your money on the perfect gift, but don't want to look cheap with your drinks choice, ditch the Champagne in favour of some sparkling wine (when served in a Champagne flute, noone will know your secret!). Hardy's make a great sparkling Chardonay-Pinot Noir, it was a citrus aroma, with a berry flavour and creamy texture - truly delicious. Hardy's also have a Brut Rose sparkling wine which is a little crisper - it's also pink - which is always a winner on February 14th! The best thing is, both variants are on half price offer at Tesco. I've stocked up my fridge!

Shloer, £1.97

As mentioned, Valentine's falls on a Monday. If conuming the above-mentioned drinks, you may feel a little worse-for-wear the next day. If your evil boss has booked you in to make a presentation on Tuesday morning, or if there's another reason you need to be hangover-free, why not drink Shloer... I'm a big fan of this fruity, sparkling drink. It's really refreshing, and a great alternative to wine.

Firefly Love Potion, £1.49 for 330ml

http://www.fireflytonics.com/

Firefly, producers of 100% natural energy tonics, have listened to fans across the globe and promised the return of their infamous Love Potion, a saucy blend of Passionfruit, Blueberry and Jasmine with sensory botanicals Angelica, Chocolate and Damiana, all known for their aphrodisiac qualities. Released just in time for Valentine's, it's a delicious, non-alcoholic drink that may help get you in the mood.

TOP FIVE CHRISTMAS DRINKS

Christmas time, mistletoe and wine.... or other tasty drinks. Below are my top five festive tipples - I hadn't realised until after I created this post, that all my favourite drinks are red. Bonus.



Fountain of Youth
Made with Russian Standard Vodka



I adore cocktails - I was a cocktail waitress for a little while, such a great skill to have in life! The above pictured cocktail is called Fountain of Youth - it's made by pouring 50mls of Vodka, 60mls of Pomegranate juice in to a cocktail shaker with  thinly sliced ginger and ice, you then shake it vigorously and pour into a Martini glass (wipe a mint leaf around the rim of the glass first) and garnish with ginger. I used Russian Standard Gold Vodka in the recipe which is really good quality. If you know someone who loves their voddy, or someone who makes a lot of cocktails, it would make a great Christmas present (you can by it in an amazing gold presentation case).

Cranberry Gin, £3.80/100ml
http://www.demijohn.co.uk/.

Another delicious Christmas drink is Cranberry Gin. Home made in Cheshire, this unusual drink has a fantastically sharp and clean taste to it. It is nicely sweet and has a distinctive cranberry taste. Try it with tonic and a twist of lime or over crushed ice as an aperitif. There are a number of bottles you can choose to buy this tipple - it would make a great gift for a gin fan!

Camitz Sparkling Cosmo
http://www.camitzvodka.com/

If you want to celebrate the festive season with something a little bit different, you should try Camitz Sparkling Vodka. It's 100% natural and made in Sweden. As with most bubbly drinks, the fizz only lasts for a few days, making it a fabulous tipple for parties (although after the fizz goes, it lasts just like normal vodka - so no binge drinking please!). It's great for making a twisted Cosmo... Add 50ml Cranberry juice, 15ml Cointreau,15ml fresh lime juice and ice to a cocktail shaker - shakey-shakey shake it - and then pour into a chilled Martini glass. Top with 50ml of Camitz Sparkling Vodka. Garnish with a lime wheel. Delicious.

Pixley Berries Blackcurrant & Raspberry Cordial, £3.19 for 500ml

Waitrose

There's been a lot of colds and flu around lately, so if you want something to make you feel better, why not make a hot toddy? Warm (not boil) some apple juice in a pan with some cinnamon, add a little bit of rum and some Pixley cordial - it'll make you feel warm inside and tastes divine! I particularly like Pixley Berries Blackcurrant & Raspberry, it's lovely and sweet, and the high fruit content of the drink actually helps stave off colds too. I like to have the cordial (without the alcohol) to warm up when I come in from the cold.

Gordon's Gin

It may be 'mother's ruin', but I adore gin. In winter, there isn't much more delicious a drink than sloe gin and tonic on ice, with a squeeze of fresh lime. I usually buy Gordon's, but I'd really like to make some - apparently you pick some sloe berries, put them in a bottle of regular gin and hey presto - if anyone has any information on how this works - how long it takes, how many berries to put in etc... I'd love to hear from you!