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Whether you’re celebrating with your significant other, or binging Netflix solo or with your Galentines, you’ll want fun and festive red and pink Valentine’s Day cocktails to help set the mood.
“Since Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love and friendship, I think rose water-infused cocktails that are garnished with edible pink or red rose petals makes for a good Valentine’s drink,” says Regine T. Rousseau, Founder of Shall We Wine.
But why do we associate the colors red and pink for this love-themed holiday in the first place?
According to some sources, many people link red to heightened emotions like a wide range like love, passion, lust, desire, aggression, anger, and intensity. In ancient Greek mythology, Aphrodite, the Goddess of love, created the first red rose with her blood after stepping on white rose thorns while rushing to the bedside of her dying beloved Adonis. In Japan, India and China, brides wear red as a symbol of love, prosperity and fertility.
Meanwhile, other Valentine’s Day hues pink and white have their own associations. According to “The Color of Sex” author Judy Scott-Kemmis, pink and white represent a blend of red —passion— and white—for purity and innocence. When combined, these colors recall friendship, familial love and certain traits like calmness, romance, compassion, intimacy, and unconditional love.
Given these histories, it’s no wonder these colors became symbolic for a day of love.
Here’s 10 of our favorite Valentine’s Day cocktails, from sweet to boozy with everything in between.
