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Made for two

Romantic cocktails

Short, stemmed, properly garnished drinks worth making one at a time for someone.

What makes a drink feel like an occasion is format rather than flavour: served short in a stemmed glass, made individually, finished with a garnish that took a moment. A pint glass full of ice communicates something different regardless of what is in it.

These are the drinks to make when the making is part of the point. Chill the glasses first — it takes two minutes and is the difference nobody can name but everybody notices.

33 recipes
A Martini in a chilled glass with a lemon twistPhoto by Taryn Elliott on Pexels

Martini

Gin and dry vermouth, stirred to a razor-cold clarity — the most argued-over cocktail in the book.

strongdryherbal
medium5 mingin
An Espresso Martini in a coupe glass with three coffee beans floating on the foamPhoto by Marilena Baltzaki on Pexels

Espresso Martini

Vodka, coffee liqueur and fresh espresso, shaken hard for a cold, foam-capped jolt.

strongbittersweet
medium7 minvodka
A Pornstar Martini in a coupe glass with a passion fruit half and a shot of sparkling wine alongside

Pornstar Martini

Vodka and passion fruit shaken bright and fruity, served with a chilled shot of sparkling wine on the side.

fruitysweettropical
medium7 minvodka
A Manhattan in a coupe glass with a maraschino cherry

Manhattan

Rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, stirred with bitters — the spirit-forward counterpart to the Martini.

strongbitterdry
medium5 minwhisky
A pink Cosmopolitan in a coupe glass with an orange peel garnishPhoto by Marcelo Verfe on Pexels

Cosmopolitan

Citron vodka, triple sec, cranberry and lime, shaken pink and served up — sharp, bright and unapologetically 90s.

sourfruitystrong
easy5 minvodka

French 75

Gin, lemon and sugar, shaken and topped with sparkling wine — a Champagne cocktail with a genuine kick.

sourrefreshingdry
medium5 mingin
A Mimosa in a champagne flute, pale orange and fizzingPhoto by JÉSHOOTS on Pexels

Mimosa

Sparkling wine and fresh orange juice, half and half — brunch's simplest cocktail.

fruityrefreshingdry
easy3 minsparkling wine

Aviation

Gin, maraschino and a whisper of violette, shaken with lemon — pale purple and quietly complex.

sourdryherbal
medium5 mingin

French Martini

Vodka, Chambord and pineapple juice shaken until frothy — fruity, pink and deceptively strong.

fruitysweetstrong
easy4 minvodka
A Gibson cocktail in a chilled glass garnished with a pickled cocktail onion

Gibson

A Martini in every way but one — dry gin and vermouth, stirred cold, finished with a pickled cocktail onion instead of an olive or twist.

strongdryherbal
medium5 mingin
A Vesper cocktail in a chilled glass with a lemon twistPhoto by Engin Akyurt on Pexels

Vesper

Gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc, shaken hard — the literary Martini variant with a name and backstory all its own.

strongdryherbal
medium5 mingin

White Lady

Gin, triple sec and lemon juice, shaken with egg white for a silky, pale, citrus-forward sour.

sourstrongfruity
medium5 mingin

Twentieth Century

Gin, Lillet Blanc, white crème de cacao and lemon — a 1930s cocktail built on an unlikely pairing of citrus and chocolate.

sourstrongdry
medium5 mingin
A sugar-rimmed Lemon Drop Martini in a coupe glass with a lemon twist

Lemon Drop Martini

A sugar-rimmed vodka sour dressed up as a martini — sharp lemon candy in a glass.

soursweetfruity
easy5 minvodka

El Presidente

White rum, dry vermouth, orange curaçao and a touch of grenadine, stirred cold — Havana's answer to the Martini.

drystrongfruity
medium5 minrum

Mary Pickford

White rum, pineapple juice, grenadine and a whisper of maraschino — a pink, glamorous 1920s Havana classic.

fruitysweettropical
easy5 minrum

Bacardí Cocktail

White rum, lime and grenadine, shaken cold — a Daiquiri with a pink, pomegranate-sweetened twist.

sourstrongfruity
easy4 minrum

Naked and Famous

Equal parts mezcal, Aperol, yellow Chartreuse and lime — a balanced, modern four-way tightrope walk.

smokybittersour
medium5 mintequila

Brandy Alexander

Cognac, dark crème de cacao and cream, shaken smooth — a dessert cocktail dusted with nutmeg.

sweetcreamystrong
medium5 minbrandy

Brandy Crusta

Cognac, orange liqueur, maraschino and lemon in a sugar-rimmed glass lined with a long citrus spiral.

strongsourdry
advanced8 minbrandy

Jack Rose

Apple brandy, lime and grenadine, shaken pink — a Prohibition-era American classic.

fruitysoursweet
medium5 minbrandy

Kir Royale

Champagne poured over a splash of crème de cassis — the celebratory, sparkling big sister of the Kir.

sweetfruityrefreshing
easy2 minsparkling wine
A pale green, frothy Grasshopper in a coupe glass

Grasshopper

Crème de menthe, white crème de cacao and cream, shaken until frothy — a pastel-green dessert in a glass.

sweetcreamyherbal
easy4 minliqueur led

Golden Cadillac

Galliano, white crème de cacao and cream, shaken smooth — a golden, vanilla-and-chocolate dessert cocktail.

sweetcreamyherbal
easy4 minliqueur led

Chambord Royale

Champagne poured over a splash of Chambord raspberry liqueur — a jewel-toned, celebratory sibling of the Kir Royale.

sweetfruityrefreshing
easy2 minsparkling wine

Coffee Flip

Cognac, coffee liqueur and a whole egg, shaken hard into something silky and dessert-like — a classic flip technique with a coffee lean.

creamysweetstrong
advanced5 minbrandy
An alcohol-free Mimosa in a champagne flute, pale orange and fizzing
Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Mimosa

Alcohol-free sparkling wine and fresh orange juice, half and half — brunch's simplest cocktail, alcohol-free.

fruityrefreshingsweet
easy3 minalcohol free
A punch bowl of Champagne Punch with an ice ring, alongside a filled champagne flutePhoto by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels

Champagne Punch

Cognac, orange curaçao and lemon lengthened with sparkling wine — a 19th-century punch-bowl classic for celebrations.

fruitysweetrefreshing
medium10 minsparkling wine

Appletini

Vodka, sour apple liqueur and fresh lime, shaken and strained up — a bright green, tart-sweet modern classic.

sweetsourfruity
easy4 minvodka
An Old Cuban cocktail in a coupe glass with a mint leaf floating on the foam

Old Cuban

Aged rum, lime, mint and Angostura, shaken and topped with sparkling wine — a Mojito that grew up.

refreshingherbalsweet
medium6 minrum
An alcohol-free passion fruit martini in a coupe with half a passion fruit on the foam, beside a small glass of sparkling wine
Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Passion Fruit Martini

Passion fruit, vanilla and lime shaken to a foam, with a small glass of alcohol-free fizz alongside.

fruitytropicalsweet
medium6 minalcohol free
An Alcohol-Free Espresso Martini in a coupe glass with a thick coffee foam and three coffee beansPhoto by Ayberk Mirza on Pexels
Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Espresso Martini

Fresh espresso and vanilla syrup, shaken hard for the same cold foam-capped look — no vodka, no coffee liqueur.

bittersweetstrong
medium7 minalcohol free
An alcohol-free Cosmopolitan in a chilled coupe, pale pink with an orange twist
Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Cosmopolitan

Cranberry, lime and orange shaken to the Cosmopolitan's sharp, pale-pink template — no vodka.

sourfruityrefreshing
easy5 minalcohol free

How this list is built

Computed from real catalogue fields: a date-night or celebration occasion tag, served in a stemmed glass, with an authored garnish.

Nothing on this page is hand-picked or sponsored — the list comes straight from the recipe data, so it stays correct as the catalogue grows. Lists only exist once enough real recipes match; that is why some categories you might expect aren't here yet.

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