Victorians conveyed secret messages in the herbs and flowers used in their bouquets. With the language of edible flowers and herbs as our inspiration, Luxury Experience created a romantic Valentine's Day cocktail and culinary menu that will delight and enchant your favorite Valentine with recipes for Cupid's Kiss with Vermont Spirits White Vodka , Cloud 9 with Leblon Cachaça , Stung by Love with Scorpion Mezcal , Scandinavian Love Potion with Heavy Water Vodka , Tropical Flower  with La Favorite Rhum Agricole , and Dona Flor with Sagatiba Cachaça . Happy Valentine's Day!

When Victorians wanted to send secret messages to their friends, loved ones, or even to their foes, they used the language of herbs and flowers to convey their sentiments and deepest feelings; a bouquet was not merely a collection of pretty flowers or herbs, rather it was a code to be deciphered by the recipient. A few of the many flower codes they used included red roses to convey love and desire, white roses could convey silence, secrecy, or eternal love, and orange roses represented desire or passion; pansies conveyed loving thoughts, violets were for affection, daisies represented innocence; striped carnations symbolized refusal, white carnations conveyed disdain, yellow carnations signified rejection; hibiscus represented rare beauty; lavender was for devotion; red tulips were a declaration of love, whereas yellow tulips represented hopeless love; and lily of the valley signified trustfulness.  

Herb codes included basil, which signified good wishes and wealth; dill sent the message of lust; rosemary was for remembrance; chervil represented sincerity; savory was used to express interest; verbena for enchantment; sage to convey wisdom and good health; mint for wisdom; oregano and marjoram for joy; tarragon for lasting interest; sorrel for affection; cumin for fidelity; chamomile for patience; fennel for flattery; and thyme for courage and strength. 

As you prepare to celebrate Valentine's Day what message will you be  sending? Set the mood with your favorite music, turn the lights down low, send your special someone a secret message, and have a wonderfully romantic Valentine's Day. 

Luxury Experience's Romantic Valentine's Day Cocktail and Culinary Menu 

The Cocktail Menu 

Luxury Experience's Cupid's Kiss
Luxury Experience's Cloud 9
Luxury Experience's Stung by Love
Luxury Experience's Scandinavian Love Potion
Luxury Experience's Tropical Flower
Luxury Experience's Dona Flor with Sagatiba Cachaça 

The Culinary Menu 

Luxury Experience's My Heart "Beets" for You
Luxury Experience's Scallops Bandito Style with Tomatillo Chutney and Scorpion Mezcal 

The most romantic of spirits is Xtabentun, a Mayan liqueur with an interesting legend of love and is made from the honey that bees extract from the xtabentun flowers on vines that grow only in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, and is distilled with anise seed and rum. Luxury Experience's Cupid's Kiss blends Xtabentun, Vermont Spirits White Vodka, spiced apple ring juice for color and to tempt your special someone, and whipping cream to create a seductively delectable cocktail.  

Luxury Experience's Cupid's Kiss     

Yield:               2 Cocktails
Glass Used:     3-Ounce Stemmed Glass 

Method for Cocktail: Add all ingredients to a large mixing glass. Shake with 4 ice cubes, and strain into 2 chilled 3-ounce glasses. Garnish each glass with a wedge of spiced apple ring. Use a demitasse spoon to carefully drizzle spiced apple ring juice to create a heart. Spiced apple rings are available in jars in most supermarkets. 

When it comes to love and romance, dark chocolate is high on the list, and Luxury Experience's Cloud 9 is a luscious cocktail that combines Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters, Leblon Cachaça from Brazil, Cloudberry Liqueur from Finland, orange juice, and lemon juice for Vitamin C, tamarind which signifies love, and dark chocolate orange slices to finish this gorgeous cocktail. 

Luxury Experience's Cloud 9    

Yield:                 2 Cocktails
Glass Used:       Martini Glass 

Method for Cocktail: Add the Leblon Cachaça, Cloudberry Liqueur, Orange Juice, Tamarind Nectar, Lemon Juice, Agave Nectar, Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters, to a large mixing glass. Shake with 8 ice cubes, and strain into 2 chilled martini glasses. Garnish each glass with an orange slice dipped in dark chocolate. 

 

Yield:                 2 Cocktails
Glass Used:       Rocks Glass 

Method for Herb Infused Simple Syrup: In a large saucepan, add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, and a sprig of dill, rosemary, mint, and oregano. Bring to a boil and then let simmer to dissolve sugar. Let cool at room temperature for a few hours, and then store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to use. Will hold for several weeks in the refrigerator. 

Method for Cocktail: Add the Scorpion Mezcal, pineapple juice, passion fruit juice, lime juice, and simple syrup to a large mixing glass. Shake with 8 ice cubes, and strain into 2 rocks glasses filled with fresh ice. Garnish with glass with a pineapple wedge and a piece of mint. 

Luxury Experience's Scandinavian Love Potion creates the spirit of romance using dill and lingonberries, which are small, rather tart, red berries that are usually eaten as a jam and provide Vitamin C, Pro-Vitamin A, B Vitamins (B₁, B₂, B₃), as well as Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, and Phosphorus. The name is a playful reference to the dill, thought to be a romantic herb and signifies lust and the Heavy Water Vodka made in Sweden. 

Luxury Experience's Scandinavian Love Potion    

Yield:              2 Cocktails
Glass Used:    Martini Glass 

Method for Heavy Water Vodka infused with dill: Pour Heavy Water Vodka (enough to equal the amount of cocktails that you want to create) in jar, add a few sprigs of dill, cover, and refrigerate for several days to create the infusion. 

Method for Cocktail: Chill martini glass and set aside. In a large mixing glass, add the lingonberry jam and agave nectar and muddle until the mixture is smooth. Add the Heavy Water Vodka, lime juice, and 8 ice cubes and shake in metal shaker until all the ice is incorporated into the drink. Strain into 2 martini glasses and garnish each glass with a sprig of fresh dill. 

Luxury Experience's Tropical Flower uses rose jelly to convey the message of love and desire and is a delicious cocktail made with La Favorite Rhum Agricole Blanc from Martinique and fresh squeezed orange and lemon juice.   

Luxury Experience's Tropical Flower     

Yield:               2 Cocktails
Glass Used:     Martini Glass 

Method for Cocktail: Add 8 ice cubes to a shaker and add all of the ingredients. Shake hard until the metal shaker is frosty, and the ice is incorporated into the drink. Strain cocktail into 2 chilled martini glasses. Garnish with an edible flower. 

Hibiscus represents rare beauty and Luxury Experience's Dona Flor made with hibiscus flower juice, champagne, Sagatiba Pura Cachaça from Brazil, Grand Marnier from France, rose jelly and freshly squeezed lime juice is a regal and elegant cocktail that is sure to enchant your Valentine. 

Luxury Experience's Dona Flor      

Yield:                2 Cocktails
Glass Used:     Champagne Flutes 

Method for Cocktail: Chill champagne glasses. Pour champagne into the glasses. In a shaker can with 8 ice cubes, add Sagatiba Pura Cachaça, hibiscus flower concentrate, rose jelly, and lime juice, and shake hard until metal can is frosty. Carefully strain into the champagne glass. Garnish each champagne glass with an edible flower. 

Luxury Experience's Romantic Valentine's Day Culinary Menu 

Luxury Experience's My Heart "Beets" for You
Luxury Experience's Scallops Bandito Style with Tomatillo Chutney and Scorpion Mezcal    

On Valentine's Day, there are better places to spend your time than in the kitchen, so I created appetizing recipes that can be partially made ahead and finished just before serving to maximize your time with your special someone. Luxury Experience's My Heart "Beets" for You combines oregano and thyme for joy and happiness, rose jelly to signify love, garlic for a healthy heart, and beets, as beetroot juice has been thought to be an aphrodisiac since Roman Times. 

Luxury Experience's My Heart "Beets" for You 
Hors d'oeuvres or First Course 

Yield:   8 hearts 

Ingredients: 

Vegetable Method: Pre-heat oven to 400° F.  In a bowl, add the beets, carrots, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Toss to coat vegetables.

Line a 9 x 9 pan with aluminum foil. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray. Place vegetables in pan, cover and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Stir rose jelly with vegetables. Set aside to cool. Drain excess liquid and reserve liquid to create plate decoration. Mixture may be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to use. Bring vegetables to room temperature before filling phyllo. Reserve any leftover vegetable mixture to use in a salad. 

Phyllo Heart Method: Cut a paper heart (4 inches x 2.5 inches) and fold heart in half. Place a sheet of phyllo dough on large cutting board. Spray phyllo sheet with vegetable oil spray. Place another sheet of phyllo on top of first sheet and spray with oil. Repeat once more, and then fold phyllo sheets widthwise. 

Place the paper half heart on the fold of the phyllo sheet. Trace around the heart with a sharp knife. Carefully open the heart and fill one side of the heart with 1 teaspoon filling. Fold the phyllo dough and press to seal edges and create half a heart. 

For the second heart, fill the opposite side of the heart, so that when the baked hearts are placed side by side on a plate, they will create 1 heart. Create additional hearts using this method. Bake the filled hearts in the oven until golden brown, approximately 8 - 10 minutes.

Presentation: For the plate decoration, add a teaspoon sour cream to the reserved vegetable liquid and stir to combine. Place 2 hearts in the center of a plate, place small dots of sauce around half of the heart. Carefully run a knife through the dots to create a chain of hearts. Cut chives to create arrows and place on top of hearts.  

Luxury Experience's Scallops Bandito Style with Tomatillo Chutney and Scorpion Mezcal uses chile pepper for love, cilantro for sincerity, tomatillos rich in potassium, vitamins A and C, calcium, and folic acid, and scallops, which are rich in protein, are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, and are low in fat. 

Yield: 8 purses  

Ingredients:

Method for Filling: Sauté the onions and chili in butter until translucent. Add corn and cook for 2 minutes. Add scallops and cook 2 minutes or until scallops are done. Add sundried tomatoes and tomato chutney. Cook 1 minute. In a small bowl, mix the Scorpion Mezcal with the water and stir into the scallop mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes until sauce is thickened. 

Method for Scallops Bandito Style: Brush 1 sheet of phyllo dough with melted butter. Fold in half widthwise, and brush with melted butter. Add another sheet and repeat, and another sheet, to create 6 leaves total.  

Add 1/2 cup of scallop mixture to the center of the dough, bring sides to middle to create the "purse" and tie with a long chive.   

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Place the scallop "purses" on a buttered sheet and bake approximately 8-10 minutes until the dough is golden.   

Presentation: Place 1 scallop "purse" in the center of a plate, heat a small amount of the chutney and brush artistically on the plate next to the pouch, or present on a platter with the chutney.   

Ingredients: 

Method: Tomatillos are in the nightshade family, are related to the tomato, are used in Mexican cuisine, and resemble green tomatoes covered with paper-like husks. Peel the husks off the tomatillos, wash and dry the tomatillos, which will be slightly sticky before washing, and then dice the tomatillos. 

Add all of the ingredients with the exception of the pepitas, to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook until mixture is reduced to 1 cup. Mix in the pepitas and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use. Happy Valentine's Day! 

© February 2010. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.