Champagnes, cocktails and wines for Valentine
(02/02/2010)

Stylish choices can turn a moment into a memory. For Valentine's, it is important to select the right champagnes, cocktails and wines.

Cocktail Wizard meets Midas Queen

Create a magnificent cocktail to start the evening with a flamboyant flourish. Reach for an Urban Bar gold plated boston shaker £24.60 and matching hawthorn strainer £17.40

Shake up a Midas Queen cocktail created by Stefano Cossio of The Dorchester hotel bar
50ml Snow Queen vodka
25ml Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
1 dash Fee Brothers Orange Bitters
Stir all ingredients in the mixing glass part of a Boston shaker filled with ice, and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with 1 orange and 1 lemon knot made from fine slivers of fresh peel.

Party perfect

Share a celebration with friends and show how big your intentions are with a 26cms tall, super-size Libbey Grande Martini glass £18.49

Practical romantics

Forget the follies of a eurostar. Maxim's Année Follée champagne £29.41 will soon have you thinking of a stroll up the Champs Elysées. In chic Parisian red and gold livery, the bottle contains a velvety classic champagne with mature toasty brioche aromas.

Stay in and linger over dinner with Ruinart Rosé NV £42.11. Its curvaceous 18th century style bottle reveals a rose pink champagne with red berry richness, making it beautifully intense. A higher proportion of Chardonnay gives it greater finesse.

Opposite attract

Marry Bitter Truth bitters with a white sugar cube. Pour a few drops over the cube placed in a champagne flute, and top up with sparkling wine. Add zest from a lemon or orange by squeezing the oils onto the surface of the drink. The bitters enhances the aromas of this simple, elegant cocktail.

Creators Stephen Berg and Alexander Hauck have worked as mixologists in bars all over the world. Fascinated by recipes from a bygone era when drinks were made individually, they re-created bitters which no longer exist in the modern world in small quantities with fresh and fragrant ingredients. A single bottle will last months.

Bitter Truth Aromatic bitters £12.83 has the elusive musky sweet scent of gingerbread
Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas bitters £14.83 was named after one of New York's most famed mixologists
Partner it with Langlois-Chateau Cremant de Loire Brut £12.69 which is vibrant and appley fresh, reflecting the Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay grapes, or Ruggeri Prosecco Santo Stefano DOC £14.62 has fine strands of bubbles that last and last. It is fresh and lightly sweet with a fruity lemon blossom bouquet

New-world, new vision

For a martini moment away from a commercial age, it's a breath of fresh air to hear that new Fair fairtrade vodka £34.67 is made from quinoa grown by a community of 1200 independent farmers in Bolivia. This handcrafted spirit was nominated Best Tasting Vodka 2009 at the New York Spirits Awards. It has a supremely smooth taste.

Sensory sipping from the heart

Exquisitely presented, Clase Azul Plata tequila £97.07 comes in a statuesque handmade decanter. This sublime sipping tequila is made from the hearts of organic agaves that have matured for over nine years to create pure indulgent smoothness.

TheDrinkShop.com's Managing Director, Tim Francis, said "The best Valentine's gifts are those you can enjoy together. Champagne is still a favourite, but each year we spot ever more adventurous choices with a thoughtful extra message".