Unveil the magic of romance with this captivating Love Potion Cocktail, with an enchanting blend of Empress Elderflower Rose Gin, Chambord, cranberry juice, and fresh lemon. This bewitching sip is as memorable as love's first blush when served with dry ice. This drink is perfect for Halloween parties and Valentine's Day, and is ready in 5 minutes!
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Whether you're looking for the perfect Valentine's Day cocktail, or a romantic drink for a date night homemade dinner, or something truly show-stopping for a Halloween party, this love potion drink fits the bill with its vibrant red color. Made with Empress Elderflower Rose Gin for a botanical infusion of florals!
If you're looking for more vibrant cocktails for special occasions, try our pomegranate gin cocktail, this blood orange gin cocktail, or this vampire's kiss cocktail.
For more gin drinks, try this blueberry gin cocktail, this lavender gin cocktail, this Floradora cocktail, and this elderflower collins.
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Unique flavor. The Empress Elderflower Rose Gin provides a floral and aromatic foundation, setting this drink apart from typical cocktails.
- Visually stunning. The rich colors of the ingredients, especially when combined with the dramatic effect of dry ice, make it a visual delight.
- Easy to prepare. Despite its sophisticated taste profile and stunning looks, this cocktail is straightforward to prepare, even for novice mixologists. It's ready in 5 minutes or less!
- Perfect for special occasions. This cocktail is a true show-stopper. Its name and theme make it an ideal choice for Valentine's Day, anniversaries, or any romantic event, but it's also great for Halloween, baby showers, Mother's Day brunch, birthdays, and other special events!
🌹Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Empress Elderflower Rose Gin. This botanical gin is newer to the US market. It's infused with florals like elderflower and rose, so it has a naturally occurring ruby-red hue that makes it perfect for this drink.
- Raspberry liqueur. To add raspberry flavor to the drink we used our favorite raspberry liqueur Chambord. You can use anything you like here.
- Lemon juice. Freshly squeezed.
- Edible rosebuds. These are optional, but we like to float dried edible rosebuds (affiliate link) on top of the drink for a pretty presentation. It fits the romantic theme.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Swap the liquor. While Empress Gin is truly the star of this drink, you can swap it for your favorite spirit. Vodka or tequila would be a great choice. If you'd like, you can try using a flavored vodka like raspberry vodka or strawberry vodka for an extra fruity twist.
- No Chambord. If you don't have Chambord, you can swap in some of our homemade raspberry simple syrup for a nice raspberry flavor! You likely won't need as much, however, or else your drink may be too sweet!
- Experiment with different garnishes. Try adding a twist of lemon, an orange twist, maraschino cherries, strawberry hearts on a cocktail pick, or red raspberries on a cocktail pick. For an extra fun garnish for Valentine's Day, try, adding some conversation hearts!
- Swap the citrus. Instead of lemon juice, try using fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, orange juice, or lime juice.
- Sweeter drink. Add a splash of simple syrup or more cranberry juice cocktail for a sweeter drink.
✨Variations
- Peach version. If you don't have raspberry liqueur, swap it for some peach schnapps for a peachy version!
- Dessert version. Try adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream, one serving for a different dessert version of this drink.
- Swap the juices. If you don't have any cranberry juice cocktail on hand, try adding an equal amount of pineapple juice, pomegranate juice, or cherry juice, for a fruity twist on the drink.
- Fizzy and sweet. Instead of cranberry juice, you can opt for something fizzy like ginger ale, ginger beer, or grapefruit soda.
- Add more bubbles. Try serving this in a larger glass, if you want to add some additional fizz to this drink. Try club soda or soda water. You could also try topping it off with sparkling wine like Prosecco.
- Foamy version. To give this cocktail a nice foamy top try adding an egg white and giving it a dry shake (this means shaking without ice before adding ice and shaking again to create a nice foam) then double-straining it into a chilled cocktail glass.
🔪Prep work
- Before you start, if you’re using dry ice, ensure you’re familiar with safety precautions. Never touch dry ice with your bare hands and never swallow it! Always ensure it has fully evaporated before drinking your cocktail.
- Place the cocktail glasses in the freezer to chill, or, you can fill them with ice while you work on the drinks to chill the glasses as well. Dump the ice out right before serving the cocktail.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice.
- Measure out the remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour in the cranberry juice. (Image 1)
Add the lemon juice. (Image 2)
✨Pro Tip: Always add in the least expensive ingredients first (like fruit juices) before adding the more expensive ingredients (like the spirits). That way, if you make a mistake, you don't have to throw away expensive ingredients!
Add raspberry liqueur. (Image 3)
Now, add in the gin. (Image 4)
Shake vigorously to chill, then strain into a chilled glass. (Image 5)
Garnish with edible rosebuds if desired.
Add a small bit of dry ice to the cocktail (while wearing heavy-duty gloves or using tongs) and let it evaporate completely before enjoying. Do not ingest. Enjoy!
🧊Dry ice safety
Always be incredibly careful when using dry ice! Dry ice creates an incredible look and feel to cocktails, and is safe to use in drinks (IF NOT INGESTED) and handled with care. Here are a few tips for using it safely.
- Always use tongs and/or heavy duty gloves! You do not want to touch dry ice, or you will end up with frostbite.
- When adding dry ice to drinks, use a small piece and handle with tongs and/or heavy duty gloves. Always wait until it has completely evaporated before drinking. DO NOT ingest dry ice!!
- Keep dry ice in a cooler with the lid ajar in a well-ventilated area to allow airflow.
- Make sure to store dry ice in a bigger room and not in an enclosed space to prevent dangerous amounts of CO2 from building up.
- Do not store dry ice in your freezer or refrigerator. It's far too cold and it will break your appliances.
- Keep away from children and pets!
- Do not place dry ice directly on a countertop. Keep it in the original packaging, and place a large blanket underneath to prevent direct contact with a countertop. It's so cold, you don't want to risk breaking/cracking any surfaces!
- Don't throw dry ice away, let it evaporate completely in a cooler in a well-ventilated area, and do not put it in the sink.
Dry ice adds extra elegance and excitement to drinks. We love impressing guests with it! If you're looking for more drinks that use dry ice, check out our vampire's kiss cocktail, this Halloween dry ice punch, this purple people eater drink, and this caramel poison apple cocktail with Empress!
✨Tips & tricks
- Always be incredibly careful when using dry ice! If using dry ice for a dramatic effect, always use tongs or gloves! You do not want to touch dry ice, or you can seriously hurt yourself. Also, ensure the piece of dry ice is small and always wait until it has completely evaporated before drinking. DO NOT ingest dry ice! Please see the safety tips above!
- Use fresh lemon juice. Always opt for high-quality ingredients whenever possible, but in the case of lemon juice especially, it will make a big difference! Fresh lemon juice will provide a much brighter and crisper taste than bottled lemon juice.
- Chill the glassware. Serve your cocktail in a chilled glass. You can place your glass in the freezer for a few minutes before serving or fill it with ice water and then dump it out just before pouring the cocktail. This helps keep your drink cold, especially because it isn't being served over ice.
- Ice matters. Use large, clear ice cubes in your shaker, as they'll melt slower and dilute your cocktail less during the shaking process. You also want fresh ice, so you don't end up with any unwanted flavors the ice may have absorbed from the back of the freezer in your drink!
- Fine strain. If you want a smoother cocktail without tiny bits of ice, consider using a fine strainer when pouring into your glass.
- Taste and adjust. Everyone's palate is different. Taste the cocktail before serving and adjust the sweetness or acidity as needed. You might add a bit more cranberry juice for sweetness or lemon juice for acidity.
- Add the least expensive ingredient first, and the most expensive ingredient last, and taste as you go! That way, if you mess something up you won’t waste expensive ingredients, and you can adjust along the way.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
We don't recommend storing this for too long after it's been completely mixed, but, it will keep in the fridge for a day or so. Do not freeze.
If you're making the cocktail for a group, consider preparing a larger batch ahead of time and storing it in the fridge in a pitcher. Then, all you'll need to do is shake with ice and serve, OR, serve from a pitcher with ice.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Love Potion Cocktail
Equipment
- cocktail shaker
- tongs (if serving with dry ice)
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces Empress Elderflower Rose Gin (or any gin)
- 1.5 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
- ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1 ounce Chambord (or any raspberry liqueur)
- Ice for the cocktail shaker
- Edible rose buds and dry ice for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker filled about halfway with ice, combine 1.5 ounces of cranberry juice, ½ ounce of lemon juice, 1 ounce of raspberry liqueur, and 1.5 ounces of gin.
- Secure the lid on the shaker and give it a vigorous shake for about 15-20 seconds, or until the outside of the shaker becomes frosty.
- Strain the mixture into a glass, double straining if necessary to ensure no ice enters the glass. Garnish with optional edible rosebuds.
- (Optional) If using dry ice, using tongs, carefully drop a small piece of dry ice into the glass. Wait for the smoke effect to diminish completely and the dry ice to fully dissolve before drinking. (DO NOT INGEST OR TOUCH DRY ICE!) Serve and enjoy safely!
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Always be incredibly careful when using dry ice! Here are a few tips for using it safely.
- Always use tongs or gloves! You do not want to touch dry ice, or you will end up with frostbite.
- When adding dry ice to drinks, use a small piece and handle with tongs. Always wait until it has completely evaporated before drinking. DO NOT ingest dry ice!!
- Keep dry ice in a cooler with the lid ajar in a well-ventilated area to allow airflow.
- Make sure to store dry ice in a bigger room and not in an enclosed space to prevent dangerous amounts of CO2 from building up.
- Do not store dry ice in your freezer or refrigerator. It's far too cold and it will break your appliances.
- More tips for success:
- Large batch version. If you're making the cocktail for a group, consider preparing a larger batch ahead of time and storing it in the fridge in a pitcher. Then, all you'll need to do is shake with ice and serve, OR, serve from a pitcher with ice.
- Use fresh lemon juice. Always opt for high-quality ingredients whenever possible, but in the case of lemon juice especially, it will make a big difference! Fresh lemon juice will provide a much brighter and crisper taste than bottled lemon juice.
- Chill the glassware. Serve your cocktail in a chilled glass. You can place your glass in the freezer for a few minutes before serving or fill it with ice water and then dump it out just before pouring the cocktail. This helps keep your drink cold, especially because it isn't being served over ice.
- Ice matters. Use large, clear ice cubes in your shaker, as they'll melt slower and dilute your cocktail less during the shaking process. You also want fresh ice, so you don't end up with any unwanted flavors the ice may have absorbed from the back of the freezer in your drink!
- Fine strain. If you want a smoother cocktail without tiny bits of ice, consider using a fine strainer when pouring into your glass.
- Taste and adjust. Everyone's palate is different. Taste the cocktail before serving and adjust the sweetness or acidity as needed. You might add a bit more cranberry juice for sweetness or lemon juice for acidity.
- Add the least expensive ingredient first, and the most expensive ingredient last, and taste as you go! That way, if you mess something up you won’t waste expensive ingredients, and you can adjust along the way.
- Keep away from children and pets!
- Do not place dry ice directly on a countertop. Keep it in the original packaging, and place a large blanket underneath to prevent direct contact with a countertop. It's so cold, you don't want to risk breaking/cracking any surfaces!
- Don't throw dry ice away, let it evaporate completely in a cooler in a well-ventilated area, and do not put it in the sink.
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