Last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for an intimate at-home bar experience

10^th February 2021

The editorial unit

The editorial unit

10 February 2021

In any normal year, Valentine’s Day prompts are unavoidable. Shops are lined with heart-shaped products; special restaurant menus bombard you from all sides. But this is not a normal year, and perhaps whilst cooped up at home you have managed to miss the rows of romantic cards, the red roses and shelves overflowing with chocolates. If this sounds familiar, have no fear, for there is plenty of time to make sure your partner gets the gift they deserve this Sunday. Here are our top alcoholic offerings that we think are worth ordering – because nothing says “I love you” like a full glass.

Charlie’s Cocktails One Sharp Night Collection

While ready-to-serve cocktails have been around for quite some time, Charlie’s Classic Cocktails has finally found a way to provide the full bar experience in a bottle. The new range provides a luxury and sustainable ready-to-serve classic cocktail experience, made with only premium products, designed for gifting as much as individual purchasing. Their selection of four classic cocktails combines the ease of pre-mixed drinks with the expert touch of a mixologist to create that freshly shaken feeling. Their limited-edition February offering for Valentine’s day, the One Sharp Night Collection, features a quartet of classic martinis: vesper, vodka, dirty and signature. Underlying every drink is Charlie’s Signature Spritz, extracted from citrus peels then bottled this into atomiser bottles to spritz over the surface of the finished drink, resulting in a taste just like a fresh twist. Order online here.

Coupette’s Valentine’s Day range

Whether imbibers are planning on celebrating solo, with a special someone or with friends, this Valentine’s Day, Coupette has partnered with Beam Suntory to fashion up three 125ml pre-batched bottled cocktails priced at £27, ready to be enjoyed upon arrival. This year Coupette has also produced a hamper containing delectable drinks and romantic accoutrements to help couples celebrate at home in style. Comprising 20cl bottle of Moët & Chandon, two champagne flutes, one teddy bear, one rose, a couple of coasters, chocolate hearts and a special edition 350ml bottled Strawberry Adonis cocktail, the hamper is available to purchase here for £40.

Mirabeau Gin and Master Chocolatier Valentine’s Gift

This Valentine’s Day Mirabeau, the innovative award-winning rosé brand founded by British winemakers Stephen and Jeany Cronk, has collaborated with master chocolatier, Paul A Young, to help lift our lockdown spirits and help us to say “I love you” to those that we hold dear. Paul A Young has developed a bespoke section of handcrafted chocolates inspired and infused with Mirabeau Dry Gin and it’s sparkling rosé, La Folie, to create two beautifully indulgent chocolate truffles: the Mirabeau Gin Ganache and the Mirabeau La Folie Sparkling Rosé truffle. This stunning nine-piece selection of Mirabeau-inspired chocolates comes complete with a 70cl bottle of Mirabeau Dry Gin. Each box will feature three delicious chocolate flavours including Paul A Young’s signature milk chocolate heart. Available to purchase directly from the Mirabeau’s online boutique, this limited edition Valentine’s Day package is expected to sell out quickly.

Sipful Galentine’s Movie Box

It’s going to be a different sort of Valentine’s Day this year, but whether your loved one is near or far, Sipful has you covered to put on a movie night at home with superior refreshments. The Galentine’s Movie Box includes three all-natural Sipful canned cocktails made using natural fruit juice mixed with organic bubbly wine, comprising a serving of orange mimosa, blood orange mimosa and peach bellini alongside a bag of Propercorn Lightly Sea Salted popcorn. Sipful has even done the legwork and curated a list of “Not Sh*t Netflix films” for your Valentine’s viewing pleasure. The movie night-in-a-box is dispatched with a personal message on a Cocktails & Kisses note card, all wrapped up in a letterbox-sized package. Order online before 11am on 11^th February.

Bacardi Rum-Antic Cupcake and Cocktail Kits

For cake and cocktail lovers, we recommend getting the best of both worlds with this heavenly fusion from Bacardi and Primrose Bakery. Each kit comes with six delicious rum-infused cupcakes that can also be personalised to make your feelings clear to your Valentine – or Palentine. Coming in three varieties, each box contains two cupcakes of each mouth-watering flavour with Bacardi Raspberry, Bacardi Coconut, mixers, a recipe card, jigger, cocktail sticks, a heart-shaped ice cube mould and pipettes to personalise and delight. Order this limited edition gift online for just £30.

Bespoke engraved Bombay Sapphire and Dewar’s bottles

Treat your special someone to a personal gift with an engraved bottle of their favourite spirit this Valentine’s. Why not try Bramble, the latest launch from Bombay Sapphire: a bold new creative expression of gin, bursting with natural flavours of blackberries and raspberries. For an extra special personalised gift, you can engrave the Bombay Bramble bottle with your own message. Or for the whisky lover, upgrade your bar cart with Aberfeldy 18, a rich and complex mix of cedarwood, black cherries and creamy vanilla. The bottles range in price from £23-£95, with an added £5 for the engraving. 

Le Météore Rosé

Domaine du Météore’s organic Le Météore Rosé, from its vineyard in Languedoc, is the perfect dry wine to enjoy on Valentine’s Day. Treat your Valentine (or yourself!) to a case of six bottles and raise a toast a love. Made from a blend of 50% Cinsault, 40% Grenache Noir and 10% Mourvèdre, Le Météore is a pale, AOP Faugères rosé with a slight rose flower tinge. The nose is both expressive and delicate with aromas of strawberry, redcurrant and melon and floral overtone of peonies. The palate is crisp and fresh with excellent balance, ending with a hint of white pepper spice and resulting in a harmonious and elegant rosé to enjoy all year round. Order a case of six online for £93. Use code CUPID at checkout for two free bottles when you buy four.

Grey Goose London Citypack

Why not show a cocktail lover you care by treating them to the classiest bar cart accessory around? This limited edition Greey Goose gift box honours the capital with an exclusive local release for the city of London only available at Harvey Nichols for £89. The box includes a one-litre bottle of Grey Goose Vodka, and with the premium gift box, is the perfect accent piece to display in any home or bar cart. If your other half is keen on vodka cocktails, you could also try the Grey Goose L’Espresso Martini Cocktail Kit, available on Amazon for just £39.99. It’s the perfect gift set to shake up those caffeinated classics and kick off any celebrations.

World of Zing Prosecco Cocktails Collection

The original craft bottled cocktail specialists, World of Zing, have launched a selection of handcrafted bespoke treats to enjoy and share with loved ones this Valentine’s. Whether it’s a romantic gesture for a mystery lover, for your best gal pals or a lifetime partner, make this Valentine’s Day extra special. Designed by Channel 4 Sunday Brunch cocktail expert, Pritesh Mody, and available to purchase online, this selection of gifts allows you and your loved ones to enjoy a world-class mixology experience at home this year. World of Zing has crafted a cocktail kit with bubbles for Bellini and Spritz style cocktail fans. The Prosecco Cocktail Collection consists of elegant mixes that have been designed to add an exotic twist to your glass of bubbly. The kits are available to purchase here, priced from £17.50 per cocktail kit.

CUT Rum

The Cut Rum range is made up of three authentic and affordable rums: Cut Spiced, Cut Smoked and Cut Overproof Rum. Created using only the finest ingredients, Cut Rums are all natural with no artificial flavours or sweeteners, resulting in rums which are balanced, spiced and full of flavour. The founders of Cut Rum created it to “cut the bull” and concentrate on a great rum at a great price. Here are four reasons why Cut Rum is the next best addition to your drinks cabinet. Starting at £22, these rums are available from available from Asda, Amazon and Proof Drinks.

Van Hunks Rosé Sparkling Mead

Van Hunks is an exotic range of sparkling meads produced at the foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. Those looking for bubbly with a twist needn’t look further, for Van Hunks Sparkling Mead is a delicious alternative to champagne which is made from honey instead of grapes. It’s a must for all Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day Celebrations this year: presented in a stunning glass bottle, made from all-natural ingredients and an excellent pairing for any meal. Order a bottle online for just £25.

Starlino Rosé Cocktails

If you’re looking for a special treat to give the star in your life this year, why not mix up some stunning Starlino sparkling cocktails with Hotel Starlino Aperitivos? We’ve got a couple of recipes to share courtesy of Starlino so that you can play the bartender and give your other half that holiday hotel service. Simply order your bottles online and choose from the refreshing concoctions below:

Starlino Rosé Royale

Ingredients:

1 part Starlino Rosé
2 parts sparkling wine
Splash of grapefruit juice
Starlino Maraschino Cherry

Method:

1. Add 1 part Starlino Rosé to a flute glass.
2. Top up with 2 parts sparkling wine and a splash of grapefruit juice.
3. Drop in a Starlino Maraschino Cherry to garnish.

Starlino Rosé Spritz

Ingredients:

1 Part Starlino Rosé
1 Part sparkling wine
1 part soda

Method:

1. Add ice to a long stem glass followed by 1 part Starlino Rosé.
2. Top up with 1 part sparkling wine and 1 part soda.
3. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit.

The editorial unit
Photo: Cristiana Ferrauti (Charlie’s Cocktails)