Romantic Cocktails From the Land of Enchantment

Noted Santa Fe mixologist's recipes add sizzle to Valentine's Day.

By José R. Ralat

Cowboys & Indians asked noted Santa Fe bartender Chris Milligan to concoct special Valentine’s Day cocktails for our readers. Milligan, the mixologist/manager of Secreto Lounge at the Hotel St. Francis and the writer behind the Santa Fe Barman blog, offers a pair of tipples for paramours: the Chocolate Rose and the Forbidden Fruit (below). The latter, created specifically for C&I, is made with flowers from the damiana plant, an aromatic shrub native to the desert Southwest and northwestern Mexico, believed to have aphrodisiac qualities. Of the Chocolate Rose, Milligan explains, “I specifically use Thatcher's Dark Chocolate liqueur for many reasons. One, it's organic. Second, it’s very low-calorie (110 calories per shot versus 200 or more calories for other liqueurs). But mostly I use it because of the flavor. It’s not heavy and overly sweet, so you can enjoy more than one without feeling over-loaded and I don't know anyone who is about to get cuddly who wants to feel that way. Besides, what's more romantic than chocolate and strawberries? What happens next … well, you know.”

Chocolate Rose

3 organic strawberries
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoons runny honey (3:1 honey to water)
1 1/2 ounce Thatcher's dark chocolate liqueur
1/2 ounce vodka
5 – 7 drops rose water

Muddle two strawberries, lemon and honey in a mixing glass. Add Thatcher's and vodka. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drop rose water on top and garnish with strawberry cut into a rose garnish.

Forbidden Fruit

1 ounce Agavero liqueur
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Top with sparkling wine
1 dash peach bitters
5 pomegranate seeds.

Build all ingredients in a champagne flute and enjoy!