It’s never too early to start planning forthcoming seasonal specials – this month we’re exploring Valentine’s drink flavours.
From heart-shaped strawberries and plentiful pomegranates to rich chocolate and sweet honey, there’s an abundance of Valentine’s-adjacent ingredients and flavours to choose from. The day is all about indulgence, romance and playfulness of course, but it’s also a time for both familiarity and escapism, nostalgia and newness. And all drink types can have their own Valentine’s spin.
Valentine’s Day flavours and formats
Valentine’s Day flavours can range from the obvious to the unique – including raspberry, rose and red velvet to create drinks with familiar colours and flavours; pomegranate and passionfruit as up-and-coming tropical tastes; and truffles, cookies and chilli chocolate for something a little more decadent.
Classic sweet flavours lend themselves to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic Valentine’s drinks, including rich dessert flavours for milkshakes or coffee syrups. We’re expecting to see increasingly popular flavours like maple syrup, white chocolate and crème brulee used in Valentines creations next year, while sweet staples like salted caramel, marshmallow and milk chocolate will continue to be popular too. Any of these would work for milkshakes, serving as indulgent but accessible and affordable non-alcoholic Valentine’s drinks.
Fruity or sour flavours offer opportunities for alcoholic Valentines drinks, including tropical fruits for cocktails, flavoured spirits, mocktails, adult soft drinks, juices, or tonics. Expect to see sweet-sour international flavours like yuzu, sour plum and blood orange across alcoholic Valentines drinks in 2025, to suit those wanting to impress. Softer sweet flavours can create familiar or nostalgic tastes for Valentine drinks too, such as banana or cherry as retro flavours for Valentines coffee drinks and lychee or passionfruit as tropical tastes for Valentines cocktails that will transport adventurous drinkers.
Trends to try for Valentine’s drinks
No Valentine’s day drink or treat is quite right if it’s not served in the right colour combo – typically soft pinks, luxurious purples or hot reds. How beverages come by their colour is almost as important as the tones themselves, so fruits like berries and botanicals like rose are key flavours for colourful creations.
Drinkers embracing the NoLo trend will appreciate non-alcoholic Valentine’s drinks as much as traditional tipples, making celebrations inclusive and wellness-focussed. Supermarkets and QSRs already have form for this, including non-alcoholic drink options in meal deal options promoted for dining and drinking.
Creating a wide range of drinks using familiar flavours will suit celebrations by evoking comfort and nostalgia. Retro flavours like black forest gateau or strawberries and cream offer recognisable richness.
While rich and sweet flavours might seem most synonymous with Valentine’s Day though, adventurous drinkers will appreciate unusual ‘swavoury’ or ‘swalty’ flavours to impress their Valentine too. Combinations like chilli chocolate or salted caramel could elevate alcoholic Valentines drinks like cocktails or RTDs, for example.
Tried and tested Valentine’s Day drinks
Coffees got the Valentine’s treatment in 2024, being laced with the colours and flavours of berries or topped with rich sweet treats – popular Valentine’s coffee drinks included luxurious red velvet frappes, strawberry ‘smooch’ espressos, and truffle-topped mochas.
In Canada, Monogram Coffee made a limited-edition Heart Eyes coffee blend offering flavours of rich caramel and chocolate-covered berries and cherries.
Desserts like the red velvet cake offered inspiration for mochas and Martinis alike. In the US, bars served red velvet mochas drizzled with whipped cream and chocolate and red velvet Espresso Martinis, while coffee shops created strawberry cheesecake cold brews and smoothies adorned with cold foam and heart sprinkles.
Berries were used across all drink types for their charming colours and familiar flavours too. Heart-shaped strawberries, glazed cherries and glittery ice cubes all garnished spritzes, sparkling mocktails and mochas.
Berries also added texture, giving juice and bite, to 2024 Valentine’s drinks. Starbucks created a strawberry frappuccino this year and Sonic had a chocolate-topped strawberry shake, while The Littlest Crumb made a raspberry and white chocolate Martini.
Cocktails were another Valentine’s drink staple this year. Mixologists made up wild cherry or berry rums and rose water cocktails, all sprinkled with rose petals, drizzled with honey or even served flaming.
Start planning your Valentine’s Day drinks range
To start planning your Valentine’s Drink Flavours and formats, chat to our team today. We’re experts in developing, formulating and manufacturing flavours for all drink types.
Image source: Trendhub The Food People 2024
