With dry January, my new year fitness and nutrition goals, and just my general desire to chill out a bit, I’m not currently drinking. Have I felt a little left out during happy hour, when my husband and our good friend and temporary roommate Gabrielle have tequila sodas and de-stress? A little. But I’ve also been waking up earlier and with more energy, and the skin? The skin is glowing.

So you could say it’s going well. I might even bring some of this dry thing past January—I lack the strength to go completely sober, but cutting back kinda sounds nice. That said, I’ve still been working on a delicious little Valentine’s Day Cocktail that I can look forward to whenever this whole dry January scenario is packed up and put away.

I loved the idea of something creamy and decadent and romantic in the same way that chocolate is—but a cocktail. Now you might say, well, why not just make a chocolate cocktail? And maybe you’d be onto something there, but something about a chocolate cocktail seems to me a little … campy. Tacky. Not Valentine’s-y enough to me. (Although our Boozy Hot Chocolate is a banger and a hit!). I felt more drawn to something frothy and floral, lighter in color, that could complement the flavor of chocolate rather than mirror it.

So using the classic Brandy Milk Punch as a template, we came up with this delightful little sipper. Boiled strawberries add a touch of flavor but primarily just a beautiful blush color to our rich base of heavy cream. Simple syrup and a splash of rose flower water bring a floral sweetness that reminds you spring is just around the corner. And then—in my opinion—using a silver or blanco tequila like Cimarron hits this drink with the perfect herbaceous punch; but Beau insisted the deep notes of the traditional brandy, such as a Cognac like Pierre Ferrand, worked better here. It’s a personal choice! Tequila brings the drink further in the direction of light and bright and refreshing, whereas brandy leans into the richness of the cream and lets the hint of rose hang out as a faint top note.

And to top these off we’ve tried our best to make a white chocolate “lace” garnish—I believe we successfully made rustic style edible discs moreso than the “lace” I was imagining, but the flavor is great and they do look really cute hanging out on top of those coupe glasses, don’t they?

Valentine’s Day Blushing Milk Punch

Makes 2 cocktails.

3 ounces Pierre Ferrand (or Cimarron tequila if you’re adventurous)

2 ounces rich simple syrup (recipe below)
1 ounce rose water
6 ounces pink heavy cream (recipe below)
White chocolate garnish (recipe below)

Combine all the ingredients in a shaking tin.

A hint here: whenever I’m making cocktails I like to use my jigger for the thicker ingredients (syrup, cream) first, and follow up with the thinner ingredients (rose flower water, liquor) last. This is helpful for two reasons; first, if you make a mistake, you’re less likely to waste the most expensive ingredient, which is your liquor; and second, the thinner ingredients help to sort of rinse out the leftover bits of the thicker ingredients and get every possible last drop into the shaking tin.

Shake once with no ice—a “dry shake”—to help froth up the cream without diluting the cocktail. If someone would describe your motion as “violent” you’re shaking hard enough. Then add ice and shake again—a wet, or normal shake. Strain with a Hawthorne strainer into your serving glasses, top with your white chocolate garnish, and enjoy :)

To make RICH Simple Syrup

Bring 1 part water to a boil. Whisk in 2 parts granulated sugar until completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature before using or storing, refrigerated, for up to two weeks.

NOTE: “Simple syrup” is a 1:1 ratio of sugar:water. “Rich simple syrup” is the name for when you make it with 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. I promise I don’t just love overusing the word “rich.”

For the Strawberry-dyed cream

1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine frozen strawberries with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally for five minutes. Remove from heat. Using a fine mesh strainer, separate the liquid from the warm strawberry mixture into the heavy whipping cream, then whisk to dye the cream a light pink color. Either discard the fruit solids or save in a jar to have with buttered toast in the morning.

For the white chocolate garnish

white chocolate morsels

Using the top of the serving glass as a stencil, trace a circle onto wax paper that will serve as the guide for creating your garnish. Microwave white chocolate morsels on high in 20 second increments, stirring vigorously between each microwave time, until completely melted. Transfer into a piping bag and cut a small opening. Pipe the white chocolate onto the exterior first, then fill in with whatever design you like, making sure each part is attached so the garnish can come off in one piece.