The Merrion Hotel | Valentines Day Cocktail

Wow your other half this Valentine's with these sumptuous cocktails recipes that our Blue Book drink connoisseurs have shared with us.

1. Forbidden Love at Ardtara

Ardtara Country House & Restaurant

Ingredients: 70ml Shortcross Gin (from Co. Down), 35ml Blood Orange Juice ,dash simple syrup, 2 Strawberries, 4 Slices Cucumber

Muddle strawberries and cucumber with simple syrup. Add gin and blood orange juice. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with strawberry, cucumber spiral and orange peel hearts

2. Cocao L’Amour

The Merrion Hotel

Ingredients: 35.5ml Baileys Chocolat Luxe, 35.5ml Creme de Cacao, 17ml Raspberry Syrup, 35.5ml Fresh Cream, 2 drops Mozart Chocolate Bitters

Method: Shake all ingredients over ice, Double strain into chilled martini glass, Garnish with edible rose petel, Grate Tonka bean over top

3. Valentines Gin Fizz

Ballymaloe House

Ingredients: 35ml Beefeater Gin, 15ml Lemon Juice, 10ml Sugar syrup, dash of soda, dash of Grenadine syrup

Shake all ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice. Garnish with pomegranate seed or
crystallised rose petal.

4. The Georgian Rose

No.1 Pery Square

Ingredients: Hendricks Gin, homemade pink lemonade, cucumber & rosemary twist

5. The Royal Love Cocktail

Killarney Royal Hotel

2 oz light rum
2 1/2 oz orange juice
2 oz apple juice
Squirt soda water

First add rum, followed by the other ingredients, and mix well.
Serve on the rocks with an orange slice in a tall glass

6. The Mór the Merrior

Bishop's Gate

Ingredients: Mór Irish Gin and Lemonade

This larger-than-life handcrafted gin features a quartet of berries amongst its botanical selection - juniper berry, blackberry, cranberry and raspberry. With lemonade as the mixer it makes for a sweet and unique flavour.