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Hopeless Rumantic

Cocktail by Clayton Crawford. Photo by Consensus Digital Media

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Whether you’ve picked up dinner from your partner’s favorite takeout, or you’re whipping up a dinner for one in front of your favorite rom-com, this easy cocktail recipe is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s day. This cocktail is balanced and sweet with light floral notes to highlight the rich pink color based on a classic Daiquiri. Whether you are making one, two, or three of these (we don’t judge), this is an easy, refreshing cocktail that you can whip up in a matter of minutes. The best part is, you can fill this drink with flowers and treat it like a boozy little bouquet.

While pink drinks often have a reputation for being sickly sweet, overly complicated, or requiring obscure ingredients like infused vodkas or butterfly-wing tinctures, they can also be simple and extremely sippable. The Hopeless Rumantic is so appealing for a Valentine’s Day evening because it’s not too sweet, you can sip it alongside chocolate-dipped strawberries or a slice of New York cheesecake. Plus, its refreshing floral flavor profile will complement anything from crabcakes to canapes. The recipe calls for hibiscus tea which can help soothe an upset stomach or help you calm down. Of course, if the hibiscus doesn’t help you unwind, the white rum should do the trick.

Good rum is a crucial ingredient to any daiquiri, and choosing a more neutral white rum will result in a superior cocktail. Most people don’t know that most white rums are still aged up to a year. The color is removed through a charcoal filtering process to create a more mixable spirit. This is similar to the filtration technique used in the final stage of making vodka, but make no mistake, white rum and vodka are very different spirits. White rum passes through charcoal filtration to remove any impurities and impart a smooth, sippable texture for a better drinking experience. It also just so happens to mix perfectly with a variety of ingredients.

Cocktail by Clayton Crawford. Photo by Consensus Digital Media

Hopeless Rumantic

Prep Time: 5 min

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 DASH OF VANILLA EXTRACT
  • .75 OZ. SWEETENER (LIKE SIMPLE SYRUP OR AGAVE)
  • 1 OZ. FRESH LIME JUICE
  • 2 OZ. HIBISCUS TEA CONCENTRATE (SEE PRO TIPS FOR MORE DETAILS)
  • 2 OZ. WHITE RUM (LIKE COTTON AND REED)
  • 1 BOTTLE OF SPARKLING WATER (OPTIONAL)

GARNISH: 1 LIME WHEEL (SEE PRO TIPS) & 4-5 EDIBLE FLOWERS (OPTIONAL)

Directions

Cocktail by Clayton Crawford. Photo by Consensus Digital Media

Pro Tips:

To make the hibiscus tea concentrate, you can use a hibiscus tea bag or dried hibiscus flowers). In a heat-resistant vessel, steep 1 teabag (or 2-3 grams of dried flowers) in ½ cup of hot water (around 200˚). Let that sit for 5 minutes, then stir, strain (if loose flowers), and you are ready to mix! If you plan on making several of these cocktails. You can also make a vanilla, hibiscus syrup using 1 cup of hot water, 2 cups of white sugar, 3-4 hibiscus tea bags (or about 8 grams of dried flowers), and vanilla extract to taste. Heat that mixture in a saucepan for 5 minutes, then stir, strain, and save in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

To garnish with a lime wheel, cut a thin slice from the center of a fresh lime. Cut a straight line with the tip of the knife in the center to the outside. Insert the rim of the glass into this cut, and it should stay. (If using a lemon, be sure to remove any seeds.) To top with freeze-dried flowers, delicately float them on top of the beverage (if you have tweezers, this helps). Small flowers will float, but a few ice cubes can help prop it up in the glass if you are using a larger blossom.

Edible flowers can be bought freeze-dried from the supermarket or plucked right off your favorite orchid, lilac or rose. Not all flowers are edible, however, so do some research before reaching for your nearest bouquet. It’s also important to note that orchids can be difficult on sensitive stomachs, and while flowers add to the appearance of a cocktail, they won’t impart much of a flavor.

Sustainable Spirits

Cotton and Reed is a small Distillery tucked into the heart of Washington D.C. The co-founders left careers in the aerospace industry to pursue their passion for natural craft, spirits. Their tasting room and distillery features a salvaged wood bartop, recycled shelving, and upcycled, vintage machinery showcasing their desire that nothing should go to waste. Their naturally-flavored, low sugar rums are made with Louisiana molasses and sugar cane, and wild yeast. The unique, natural rums celebrate the complexity of sugar cane, boasting a depth of flavor and bright botanical characteristics. Thanks to Cotton and Reed’s efforts to produce exceptional and responsible spirits, you can celebrate this Valentine’s Day sustainably.

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