Hi Guys! Valentines Day is less than a week away. I’m really excited but still not sure if I want to dress up or hang out at home. My coworker Bay told me that my Chinese Zodiac horoscope/ advice for the year, in terms of love, is to plan more special things for my lover. We spent nearly a half hour reading our Chinese horoscopes a couple weeks ago – have you ever done this? It’s pretty addicting once you start, and kind of awesome. Speaking of which, Happy Lunar New Year for you guys who celebrate!

A few days ago, I shared a beautiful cocktail recipe from Shaker and Spoon called the Gin Flower here. It was really floral and pink – perfect for Valentines Day. In the spirit of “planning more special things for my lover,” I have another drink recipe, that’s a little manlier, in case your BAE isn’t too into the pink (even though I’m sure he’ll love the Gin Flower either way).

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 3/4 oz goji-ginger syrup (this one from Shaker & Spoon is amazing)
• 1/4 lemon
• 5 dashes pure spearmint extract
• 1-2 oz sparkling lemon water, as desired
• goji berries for garnish
• 2 oz gin

If you want to make this a mocktail, you can use more sparkling water instead of gin, which I’ve done – it turns out really refreshing and delicious. All of these ingredients came in my Shaker & Spoon subscription box, except for the gin.

Here’s how you mix the drink:

• Add the syrup and 1/4 lemon to a shaker. Muddle gently for 6 seconds.
• Add the gin and spearmint extract. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously for 6 seconds.
• Add sparkling lemon water as desired, then strain the contents of the shaker into a glass filled with fresh ice cubes.
• To garnish, float some goji berries on top of the drink. Add a straw if desired.

My friend Francoise got me these gilded monogram glasses from Anthropologie, and I thought it was so sweet and thoughtful – they make me smile every time I pull them out of my bar cart. Such a perfect “couples” gift. The dinosaur stirrers were a last minute DIY, and I’m itching to make a million of them.Cheers! Love those pops of red from the goji berries- this drink can totally be a perfect Lunar New Year cocktail as well. Growing up, my mom used goji berries in a ton of different soups to add a subtle sweetness.  But for Valentines Day, I’ll be making this Goji Southside cocktail for Colin along with some vegan dark chocolate covered strawberries. YUM. These strawberries were so easy to make – I literally whipped them up in a few minutes.

Here’s what you need:

• 12 strawberries
• 1/2 a bar of vegan dark chocolate – you can get this from places like Trader Joe’s, Bristol Farms or Whole Foods (you can use milk chocolate too)
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• Sprinkles (optional)

Here’s what you do:

• Break up your chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and add your coconut oil
• Microwave the contents in short spurts, for 15-30 seconds at a time. Take the bowl out of the microwave each time to give it a stir.
• Continue to do this until the chocolate is fully melted
• Dip your strawberries into the chocolate and let them rest on a piece of foil or baking sheet
• Before your strawberries completely dry, add a few sprinkles if you wish. As you can see, I like a lot of sprinkles.
• Put the strawberries in the fridge for a few minutes for the chocolate to harden

Easy right?

Vday falls on a Sunday this year, which gives you time to make something special and homemade during the day.Hope you guys enjoyed these recipes and get to try them for Valentines Day! <3

Agency Addicts readers to get 15% off Shaker & Spoon subscription boxes, so don’t forget to subscribe using our special code: AGENCY15 

Drink responsibly.