Boy do we have a Valentine’s Day cocktail for you – a recipe so loaded with aphrodisiac ingredients, just one sip and you’ll be ready to explode…
Drink my Fire, What’s Your Desire?
By guest blogger Slava T Gordon
After a brief hiatus in the Punch of the Month column, in keeping with “dry January”, we are determined to return this February with a cocktail positively worthy of your time. Needless to say, the process of guaranteeing that our offering be truly top notch required a fair amount of experimenting and tasting, making the tail-end of our January not so dry after all. Oops…
Bane + Antidote friend Marshall Altier, a sought after mixologist and author of How to Booze: Exquisite Cocktails and Unsound Advice, suggested his favourite sexy aphrodisiac concoction to set the night on fire. The I’m Your Venus is fiery, sweet and perfectly sour – all told it’s decidedly moreish, and as intoxicatingly multi-faceted as Venus herself.
I’m Your Venus by Marshall Altier
Photography and styling by Jane Hodson
We are all familiar with Venus as the Goddess of Love but she might be more accurately described in today’s terms as the goddess of multi-tasking, as she is also attributed with sex, beauty, fertility, prosperity, desire and victory – a whole lot of responsibility for one lady deity. In this day and age of wanting to be, do and have it all, it is quite befitting that we guzzle a namesake tipple which hits so many notes.
A quick refresher in nutritional therapy: chocolate contains serotonin, phenylethylamine and theobromine – three compounds that lower blood pressure, enhance circulation, amplify general feelings of well being and provide energy. The perfect foundation for a long night of fun.
Chilli contains capsaicin, a substance that physically turns up the heat. Its effects are felt far beyond the burning in your mouth. Raised body temperature brings a flush to your cheek and a swell to your lips making them ever so much more plump for the kissing. Chilli peppers are also known to heighten nerve sensitivity adding an extra frisson to amorous pleasure. WARNING: Remember to wash your hands well after handling chillies, you do not want to be responsible for any undesired burning.
Mint is a lesser-known and more subtle aphrodisiac. It leaves those who eat it with a calm body and mind, while stimulating a lusty appetite. Such are its hidden charms, Aristotle famously advised Alexander the Great to keep his warriors from eating mint when at war.
These three strong natural aphrodisiacs: chocolate, chilli and mint, plus booze (arguably the fourth) ensure that this cocktail packs a mighty punch. The I’m Your Venus will make for a potent tool in your V-Day arsenal.
I’m Your Venus by Marshall Altier
- 2 ozs Rye or Bourbon whiskey
- 4 lemon wedges
- 1 tspn sugar
- 2 de-seeded chilli pepper rings
- small handful of mint leaves
- ½ oz of dark chocolate (finely grated on a plate)
- ice cubes
Glass:
- Frosted martini glass (chilled in the freezer)
Garnish:
- Grated dark chocolate rim
Instructions:
- Muddle sugar, chilli, mint and lemon wedges together in a shaker. Add the booze and ice. Shake well while shimmying in anticipation.
- Take the frosted martini glass out of the freezer, dip the rim in the chocolate and set on the side.
- Strain the concoction into the frosted martini glass.
- Best followed by a Faust’s Potions Hangover Cure health shot.
For more tantalising tips on nutritional aphrodisiacs and how to use them, read The Devil’s Guide to Valentine Gorging & Stamina Maintenance.
Bane + Antidote 