Chocolate cocktails range from sweet to spicy
to sizzling, like “Hot Lips,” above. Photo
courtesy Van Gogh Vodka.
Chocolate has been called the “fruit of love,” so it’s no wonder that it’s the favorite gift for Valentine’s Day.
Long thought of as an aphrodisiac, there’s a scientific basis to the claim. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, the same chemical released in your brain when you fall in love—leading to an excited feeling of infatuation.
Given what alcohol does to one’s brain, what happens when you drink chocolate alcohol? Find out this Valentine’s Day with chocolate cocktails made from Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka.
The vodka is so wonderfully chocolaty, it doesn’t need mixers. But not everyone likes drinking vodka neat—even chocolate vodka. So check out these chocolate cocktail recipes.
And run to your nearest liquor store to get a bottle of Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka. If you aren’t celebrating with a special Valentine, this is one way to make new friends.
Salmon caviar is an affordable treat for Valentine’s Day. You can use it in a variety of ways: in canapés, in pasta, in a baked potato, as garnish on grilled fish or in soup, and of course, with smoked salmon.
Don’t miss an opportunity to serve salmon caviar during your Valentine festivities. Take a look at our salmon caviar recipes, and pick one or more.
Additional caviar recipes for salmon caviar and black caviar. (You can substitute salmon caviar in the black caviar recipes.)
Learn all about the different types of caviar in our Caviar Glossary.
As hors d’oeuvres or on a dinner plate, red
jacket potatoes topped with red caviar are always a hit.
Hmm. Your Valentine doesn’t like sweets. But she does love a great cocktail or a shot of something special.
How about the “vodka of love”: ginger-flavored Yazi Ginger Vodka?
In Asia, ginger has long been considered an aphrodisiac, believed to have mystical powers that bring harmony to life and love.
Using glacier-fed spring water from Mt. Hood, Oregon’s highest peak, Hood River Distillers has infused vodka (grain spirits) with natural ginger, orange, lemon, cayenne and red pepper extracts for a complex, well-balanced flavored spirit. There’s a ginger forefront and a citrus-spiciness in the background.
The bottle is stunning: A spiraling dragon is etched on imported French glass, with a scarlet banner and cap (“yazi” refers to the Chinese dragon). Available nationwide, Yazi says “Be My Valentine” to all lovers of ginger. The suggested retail price is $30.00.
We enjoy drinking Yazi straight, but you can mix up a broad variety of cocktails. Here’s the “Love Potion,” courtesy of Typhoon on Broadway in Portland, Oregon.
1. Fill a cocktail shaker two-thirds of the way with ice. Add all ingredients.
2. Shake for 15 seconds.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Garnish and serve.
Find more recipes on the company website. For a retailer near you, telephone 1.503.574.3693 during business hours (Pacific Time).
February 11, 2010 at 8:35 am
· Filed under Tip Of The Day
A couple of posts down we recommended Valentine’s Day gifts for the kitchen.
But at home, you don’t have to spring for a kitchen gift. With something as inexpensive as a large, heart-shaped cookie cutter, you can make Valentine’s Day special for your family.
You can buy cookie cutters in any housewares store. But you might want to go out of your way for the fetching versions from Wilton, in pink and red colors. Wilton also has a nesting set in six different sizes.
Use the cookie cutter to cut out heart-shaped toast for breakfast (how about poached eggs on hearts?).
For lunch, use a smaller heart-shaped cutter to cut garlic toast croutons for a salad. For dinner, cut out veggies after you’ve cooked them (heart-shaped beets would be perfect, and boiled potatoes are easy).
What a cute cookie cutter! One of several pink and red heart cutters from Wilton.
And use a big cookie cutter to make a heart-ening dessert. Bake or buy your favorite loaf cake, slice and cut out hearts (this can be easier if you toast the slices), then top with ice cream and a luscious topping for a Valentine Sundae.
If you want to bake heart-shaped shortbread cookies while you’re at it, you’ll have lots of takers. Use this shortbread recipe from pastry chef Larissa Raphael.
