Valentine’s Day isn’t Valentine’s Day without a little drink with your loved one, is it? So why not buy them a bottle of something beautiful you can share? Here are our top alcohol tips for a great Valentine’s Day gift idea.
Valentine’s Day for Mrs Romance and me is rarely a big, lavish dinner out or extravagant gifts – though it is sometimes. More often though it’s a night in with a bottle of wine or a perfect martini.
It’s also usually a hot day on Feb 14 as it’s in the middle of the Australian summer. So we often go for a lighter cocktail to make the evening a bit cooler.
Here are our top tips for the best bottles to buy your loved one this V Day. The best bit about this Valentine’s Day gift is that it’s something you can both get to enjoy!
5 Valentine’s Day gift ideas for a bit of liquid love
1. Aussie Tipple Co – cocktails to go
I enjoy mixing the odd cocktail in the kitchen, but if you want to focus on spending time with the one you love, you should check out the Aussie Tipple Company.
These amazing ready-to-go cocktails are genius. Aussie Tipple Co use really amazing Australian craft spirits, mix them into cocktails, then bottle and send them to you.
All you have to do is chill, pour and chill. There are four types at the moment: a dry gin martini, a rum old fashioned (my personal favourite), a negroni and a rye espresso martini.
They come in two different sizes too – a single-serve 100ml bottle or a 1litre bottle.
You can also buy just the straight spirits they use in each cocktail too of course. Check out NipOfCourage.com to see the different distilleries and their beautiful hand-crafted spirits.
2. Create a gift box – Hendrick’s gin
Of all the big gin companies, Hendrick’s is the most interesting. They’re always trying to push the limits of what gin can be and do – like this amazing Scorpion Tail Gin they made a while back.
This Valentine’s Day the Hendrick’s team have put together a beautiful gift box set with a bottle of Hendrick’s gin, a single rose, a cocktail book and of course a cucumber to go with their signature gin flavour. They’ve called it the ‘Hendrick’s Unusual Valentine’s Woocumber Pack’, which I think is awesome.
Unfortunately, this was a limited edition set, so if you weren’t quick enough, sorry about that. But if you’re looking for inspiration for a great Valentine’s Day gift, it’s right here!
3. Make your Valentine’s Day sparkle
Nothing says romance quite like champagne. It’s a bit of a cliché – I know. But like with a lot of clichés, it’s annoyingly true. Here are three different bottles of sparkling wine to fizz up the romance!
Duperrey Vintage Brut 2011
This beautiful example of a fine French champagne is perfect for a special Valentine’s Day. Like all high quality champagnes, this Duperrey has the perfect blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier to give body, sophistication and elegance. This 2011 vintage is around $70, but younger vintages will be cheaper.
Charles Orban Blanc de Blanc
Recently taking home the Best Sparkling Wine trophy at the Sydney International Wine Competition, this champagne is perfect as a meal accompaniment if you’re cooking a beautiful meal this Valentine’s Day. Also a true champagne from France though made with 100% Chardonnay grapes.
Borgo SanLeo Prosecco
This Italian sparkling is the perfect start to a more boisterous fun Valentine’s Day. It’s got lots of fresh flavour and a light body, and if you’re looking for something to mix with your Aperol spritz, this is your new best mate.
It’s easy to remember at the bottle shop too – just look for the orange label – it’s the same colour as your Aperol spritz!
4. Wine for the environment – Temple Bruer organic wines
If you’re partner is impressed with a wine that’s kind to nature (and let’s face it, we all should be!), Temple Bruer is the one to win hearts.
Temple Bruer are certified organic, which is actually pretty hard for a winery. They’re also vegan friendly, so no weird fish stuff in the wine to clarify it. Here are three to choose from in their collection – the Reisling, the Rosé and the Mataro/Shiraz/Grenache – I’m particularly looking forward to drinking more of this one.
5. Play it cool – but make it hot!
If you’re looking to go out somewhere for Valentine’s Day, don’t just book into a restaurant. How about taking your Valentine to bar instead. I know for sure that there are bars in Sydney that have managed to keep it cool without losing that level of romance.
And if you’re not in Sydney, I bet you a million that there are places like that near you too.
To give you some examples, here are some very cool Sydney bars that have managed to keep that air of romance.
What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Do you think your other half would like a drop of the good stuff for the most romantic day of the year – it’s a good excuse, isn’t it? Tell us in the comments!
