Valentine's Day Cocktails

His, Hers, Theirs +

One interesting aspect in the history of cocktails is that there is a perception of ‘gender’ based on how a drink looks or tastes. Aside from a study that finds that people assigned female at birth may be supertasters (article here) (article here), gender based drinks are a distraction from the equality of experience. When the focus is only on how the beverages look and the glassware that is used versus how they taste, the experience lacks true merit.

As a cocktail bartender in the midwest, a common recurring request from bar guests is that the ‘manly’ men want drinks that are stirred, boozy, and stemless. Conversely, the ‘girly’ drinks come in coupe glasses and contain ingredients that are pink and fruity. In my opinion, this is all garbage and we should throw it all out and start over, focusing instead on flavor!

For this Valentine's Day, we’re celebrating individuality in identity, diversity of pairings, and inclusion. Here are a couple of spirited and non-spirited cocktails that seek to replace the focus on the gender of the intended enjoyer and instead focus on inclusivity. Either can be enjoyed by anyone, just as anyone can enjoy anything else that exists in the beverage and food world, as well as the universe.

The Alphabet

This is a tropical juxtaposition of a New York Sour, a Piña Colada (sort of) and a bunch of other classic cocktails chopped up and recombined.

First, make a salted lavender foam by combining 5 oz heavy cream (can be non-dairy creamer) and 2 oz of pH Alchemy Lavender Syrup with a pinch of salt, then dry shake (with agitator if possible) until frothy. Set aside.

Second, combine the following ingredients into a shaker tin:

1.5 oz Whiskey (or non-alcoholic Whiskey)
.5 oz pH Alchemy Pineapple Shrub
.25 oz pH Alchemy Herbalicious Syrup
.25 oz Lemon
3 dashes pH Grapefruit Bitters
2 dashes pH Smoldered Bitters Shake, then strain into a glass with fresh ice. Then, top with frothy salted Lavender foam.

BITTERSWEET

People are complex and full of beautiful juxtapositions. This recipe is an embodiment of those complexities. Combining sweetened cola flavors such as vanilla and sarsaparilla with the bitter orange peel aperitif flavor spectrum, this cocktail has a long flavor arc.