El Floridita
This drink has more of an aphrodisiac component, with chocolate and pomegranate being involved. It requires the allocation of a few ingredients you might not already have, but shows planning, and girls like to know you made an effort.
Tools
Boston Shaker, 2 cocktail coupes, Hawthorne strainer, Ice
Ingredients
Light Cuban style rum, Grenadine, Sweet Italian Vermouth, Limes, Crème de Cacao.
Make It
1 1/2 ounces Light Rum (Matusalem works best here)
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth (Dolin works well as does Martini and Rossi)
1/8 ounce grenadine (again, homemade if you really want to impress)
A dash or half a barspoon of Crème de Cacao
Shake and strain into cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lime twist.
Sparkling Rose
If things are going well and you don’t need to impress any longer, have a bottle of sparking Rose chilled and ready to go. I don’t care how great you look making that Old Fashioned, if she’s ready, don’t wait. There’s always next time…
*To make Grenadine…
Take equal parts by volume pomegranate juice (POM Wonderful works best) and superfine sugar (measure separately—can’t just keep putting sugar into a cup of grenadine until it equals two cups). For each half-liter of grenadine, add a barspoon of orange flower water and an ounce of pomegranate molasses (both are readily available from Middle Eastern or Mediterranean grocers).
