All the hoo-ha around Valentine’s Day makes me want to crawl under the duvet til Feb 15 rolls around. Anyone else?
Not to sound like ‘the angry man who yells at clouds’ or anything, but the whole Valentine’s Day thing is incessant, and a bit (a lot) of a money-grab. We’ve got Mother’s Day to look forward to next…
I get it, hating on Valentine’s Day isn’t original, in fact it’s boomerish behaviour (which I’m not) and less of a cliché to be a fan.
That said, I’ll be making my own protest by swapping flowers and ‘I love you’ teddy bears for an evening of sipping drinks that supposedly lift your libido, in the safe environment of my home. Take that, corporate day of forced love.
If, like me, you’re looking to avoid going out and stepping on the roadkill strewn over the motorway of love, here are some do’s and don’ts of what to drink at home on Saint Valentine’s Day.
Don’t
Use expensive spirits in your co*cktails
Professional bartenders don’t. Even though they’ve likely used every expensive spirit in the book, you’ll often hear a mixologist’s go-to is the likes of Beefeater, Captain Morgan, Tia Maria Tanqueray and Havana Club. Sure, mainstream brands can come off as generic, but you don’t want a single spirit to take centre stage in a co*cktail.
Whack in a measure of rare, aged spirit if you have one, which is kind of like wearing high street clothes with a designer jacket. Boujee, but not essential.
Drink G&T, it makes you miserable
Great, my favourite drink turns me into a depressive confirmed bachelor. We all know that gin can be a depressant, but tonic water making us say goodbye to our sex drive is something else.
A team at the University of Lagos in Nigeria made the discovery, in rats, so maybe we’re in the clear. On the plus side, they also found that citrus vitamin C seems to reverse it, so chuck in a slice of lemon and lime to get your mojo back.
Do
Drink pink
Aside from being a colour we associate with love and kindness, pink drinks could increase your athletic stamina. The survey was about pink energy drinks, but why shouldn’t this cross over into rosé or pink co*cktails?
Apparently, a low-calorie pink energy drink with no carbs improved runners’ average speed by 4.4% and they ran 212 metres further than those sipping the clear version.
I’m popping a bottle of fruity sparkling wine, ¡Hola Mediterráneo! (£14.99, Laithwaites) to test this out.
Pour a gin containing saffron and nutmeg
Were giving mixed messages. Gin may be a depressant, but it has a high aphrodisiacal potential, being a neutral spirit infused with botanicals. Juniper, gin’s main botanical is thought to be an aphrodisiac, known to clean the urinary tract and enhance sexual desire in men.
Find a gin that contains saffron, with a compound called crocin, there’s a reason why old Hindi films have newlyweds adding saffron to their milk on the first night. You’ve hit the jackpot if your gin also contains nutmeg, as research shows that it has a similar effect to Viagra. Bingo, Jaisalmer Gold (£39.99, drinksupermarket.com), which contains both.
Pour yourself as glass of Metro Drinks Club
If you count yourself a purveyor of the finer things in life, Metro's Drinks Club is where you need to be.
Immerse yourself in Metro Drinks Club, fronted by industry expert Rob Buckhaven - a place for readers towhettheirwhistlewith the latest and greatest in the world of drinks. From decorking the trend of Indian Gin to introducing audiences to the wallet-friendly Cremant out-bubbling the fanciest of French Champagnes, this is a haven for those who love to celebrate.
Stay ahead of the curve as Rob plucks from the vines the wines of the season and the spirits you need to know about; speaking with experts and mixologists while unpacking the latest concoctions, finding the best non-alcoholic options for those looking to moderate, discovering the best food pairings for your drops, and going up against the latest TikTok chatter to demystify the liquid landscape.
Can you really make cheap vodka taste expensive by putting it through a Brita filter?
What happens when you put wine in a blender?
And, truly, howshouldwe be storing our wine?
Read More.
Try Tequila
Fun fact: tequila contains a compound called agavina, which makes you horny. It’s from the agave plant, from which tequila is made, which has properties that could potentially increase libido. Also, tequila shots are typically served with lemon/lime and salt, a combination which in itself increases blood flow. Make mine a shot of El Tequileño Blanco (£21.83, Master of Malt), it’s what the locals drink over in Tequila, Mexico.
Drink the Damiana Herb
Damiana is a shrub found on the rocky hillsides of Mexico, low growing with yellow flowers and fragrant leaves. Guyacura Indians in Mexico brewed it in damiana tea to improve their performance in the sheets.
Jose Cuervo Agavero is a tequila-flavoured liqueur, reposado and añejo tequilas are blended together with the essence of Damiana flower to create a herbal and vegetal-tasting liqueur. Tip some into your morning cuppa for a Mexican Coffee.
Try Axia Spirit
Mastic gum has been a powerful aphrodisiac since the time of the Ottoman Empire, it contains zinc to enhance prostate function which increases libido in men. People take it as a supplement.
Axia Spirit is distilled from the resin of the twisted evergreen Masthiha tree found on the Greek island of Chios. The sap is milked from the tree and left to dry in the wind, the crystals are harvested and blended with alcohol. Try as a long drink with tonic and a sprig of rosemary garnish.
MORE : Is the second-cheapest wine on the menu the worst? Does a bigger bottle dimple equal quality? Drinks myths debunked
MORE : Move over Malbec, this is the budget-friendly wine we’ll all be drinking this year
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