Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with a romantic interest, friends or family, make the occasion special with a Valentine cocktail.

What makes a “Valentine” cocktail? Color—a shade of pink, rose or red. If you want a Champagne cocktail, garnish it with “Champagne grapes” (they’re actually Zante currants), a red berry or an edible flower. And of course, it’s got to be a sweet cocktail.

Chocolate cocktails are also options.

We’ve listed some of our favorite recipes at the end, but here’s a new idea from Tequila Herradura.

This sweet cocktail from is almost a good-for-you tonic, mixing the spirit with a serving of fresh fruit, plus fruit juice and low glycemic agave nectar instead of sugar- or corn syrup-filled cocktail mixer.

LOVE NECTAR

Ingredients For One Drink

1. PLACE the grapes into the base of a cocktail shaker and crush with a muddler. Add the remaining ingredients including ice. Shake hard and strain over ice into an old fashioned glass.

2. GARNISH with a fan of red apple. (Here’s a video that shows how.)
 
MORE VALENTINE COCKTAILS

 
Or, since you’ve got time, start thinking about making your own signature cocktail. Hint: There’s nothing easier than

Different heart-shaped cheeses appear at this time of year, especially goat cheeses. But the first heart-shaped cheese, created in the 14th century, was Neufchâtel (NU-shah-tell), a soft-riped cow’s milk cheese with a white rind.

Note that French Neufchâtel is different from the American product of the same name, sold as a lower-fat alternative to cream cheese. American Neufchâtel has been disappearing over the last decade, as cream cheese manufacturers have marketed their own lowfat and nonfat versions.

Authentic French Neufchâtel is one of the oldest cheeses in France and the oldest cheese in Normandy, dating back as far as the sixth century. Soft and crumbly, its dry, white rind is velvety and edible.

Its buttery, pale paste has a salty, somewhat sharp flavor has soft mushroom notes, like Brie. Like Brie, the cheese develops an earthy character as it ages.

Neufchâtel pairs nicely with a crisp, dry white wine. Murray’s suggests Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc or Rosé. We prefer Champagne. And if you’re a red wine drinker, bring on the Burgundy.

WHY A HEART?

It is available in various shapes, the famous Neufchâtel heart shape is a tradition begun by young Norman women, as the story goes, to discreetly express their feelings of affection for young British soldiers during the 100 Years’ War*.
 
COEUR DE BRAY

This particular Neufchatel heart comes from the Pays de Bray, an area in northern Normandy. The name is AOC protected.

It is “made from buckets of cream” from the famed dairy cows of Normandy, according to Murray’s Cheese, which sells it at retail and online for $15.99.

MAKE COEUR À LA CRÈME

You can make your own heart-shaped cheese, the famed Coeur à La Crème (heart of cream).

This luscious mascarpone creation (that’s the same cheese used to make tiramisu) is served with berries or a sauce of raspberry purée for dessert.

Here’s the recipe.

 
*A series of conflicts from 1337 to 1453 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France for control of the French throne. The war is commonly divided into three phases separated by truces, which together comprise the longest military conflict in history: the Edwardian Era War (1337–1360), the Caroline War (1369–1389) and the Lancastrian War (1415–1353), which saw the slow decline of English fortunes after the appearance of Joan of Arc in 1429. The French kept the throne and the cheese.
  

Instead of a Valentine mocktail, head straight to the delicious nonalcoholic cordials from Belvoir.

While Americans use the word as a synonym for fruit liqueur, in the U.K. a cordial is a carbonated, fruit-flavored soft drink.

Belvoir Fruit Farms is nestled in the English countryside in the idyllic Vale of Belvoir, in Leicestershire, in the English Midlands. The name is French for beautiful view.

Belvoir Castle, a tourist attraction, is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland. But the name may be more familiar to Americans from the non-alcoholic fruit cordials the family sells, a business developed by the current duke’s father to generate income for the continued upkeep of the castle.

The duke’s mother infused elderflowers, grown on the estate, into a delicious beverage. Her husband saw a revenue potential, and the family business has been pressing and cooking fresh flowers, fruits and spices since 1981, combining them with local spring water. The line expanded, and is currently exported worldwide.

Delicious and all natural, they are a refreshing alternative to other soft drinks. While they are a wonderful mixer for cocktails (and in sweet and savory recipes), they are absolutely delicious simply chilled.

The Elderflower, Raspberry & Rose and Rhubarb & Strawberry are especially nice for Valentine’s Day. The latter two are in beautiful rosy hues.

Large bottles (750ml) and individual size (25cl/8.45 fl.oz.) are available at specialty food stores and better supermarkets. Most are sold on Amazon.

For more information visit BelvoirFruitFarms.co.uk.