A Strawberry Cocktail for Valentine’s Day

A vibrant cocktail, ruby-red and sparkling, will set the tone for an intimate Valentine dinner at home. Called Los Amores and inspired by a Kir Royale, it was created by Patrick Timmis, the beverage director for the Bien Trucha Group, a family-owned Mexican restaurant and catering company in Geneva, Ill., with four places: Bien Trucha, A Toda Madre, Quiubo and Santo Cielo. Muddle two ripe strawberries in a cocktail shaker, add three-fourths ounce each of lime juice and simple syrup, one-quarter ounce of crème de cassis and an ounce of blanco tequila. Shake with ice, strain into a champagne flute, top off with bone dry sparkling wine and garnish with a strawberry. This makes one drink, but of course you'd prepare enough for two. And consider making more to have refills ready.

Bien Trucha Group, bientruchagroup.com.

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Florence Fabricant is a food and wine writer. She writes the weekly Front Burner and Off the Menu columns, as well as the Pairings column, which appears alongside the monthly wine reviews. She has also written 12 cookbooks.

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