The Gaijin is a beautiful, sexy cocktail that incorporates raspberry and peach into a not-too-sweet, yet fruity, drink that is ideal for Valentine's Day. The word gaijin means foreigner in Japanese and can refer to the concept of something foreign in more than one situation. In the case of this cocktail, it refers to the presence of nigori sake, a cloudy unfiltered type of sake that gives what would otherwise be a straightforward flavored martini an unusual flavor and an exotic look.

It could be served before dinner, but we like our Valentine's day cocktails with dessert, so feel free to try this with something fruity, like a bowl of berries and whipped cream.

The recipe is after the jump.

Generally on game day the beverage of choice around here is beer, but I decided to be a bit more creative this year. After all, you have to have some touchdown shooters, right? You may notice the blue and orange color scheme, strangely reminiscent of a certain team's uniform that is going to take down the title compete in this year's Super Bowl.

These are very simple to make, though for the sake of the picture I dressed them up a little. If you prefer, keep the presentation in mind for a fancier event and just knock these back in a plain old shot glass.

Ingredients:
1/2 oz Blue Curacao
3/4 oz Coconut Rum
1/4 oz lime juice

Put some ice in a martini shaker and add the above ingredients. Shake and strain into glass of your choice. If you would prefer to make a cocktail instead, simply add the ingredients to a glass of pineapple juice on the rocks.

I am a huge s'mores fan. The three components of the classic treat - chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers - are all tasty on their own, but it is when they come together that they really become something special. This is especially true if fire is involved in making the s'more, allowing the outside of the marshmallow to develop a crisply caramelized crust. Ideally, a s'more should be hot to allow the chocolate to melt, but I enjoy the flavors wherever they show up, including in cold confections such as S'mores ice cream. As a result, I knew that I'd have to try the I Want S'More cocktail when I first heard about it.

Read on for the recipe, although this is one drink that you might want to save for dessert instead of happy hour.

The Kentucky Derby, in its 132nd run, takes place this Saturday at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. It's called the "run for the roses" because of the huge floral wreath that is draped over the winning horse. This cocktail is called the Crown of Roses, after that very wreath. Though the mint julep is the classic Derby drink, there is no reason not to branch out and try something new on Derby Day this year. The Crown of Roses is more colorful and much fruiter than a julep, but still has the classic (and traditional) Derby whisky in it.

Crown of Roses

1 oz. Crown Royal whisky
1/2 oz. amaretto
1 oz. pineapple juice
1/4 oz. cranberry juice
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 maraschino cherry (garnish, optional)

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all of the ingredients. Shake well, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass and add garnish.

[Image Barnone Drinks]