There are essentially two camps when it comes to Valentine’s Day. Either you’re a traditionalist or you organize a one person protest every February 14th. Either way, treating yourself to a proper day is important. And Rhode Island is rich with ways to do that. 

If you are looking for an intimate evening at home with someone near and dear, try some local favorites. Nickle Creek Vineyard has an ideal taste and look for an intimate evening. Their Pinot Noir is a diverse red that pairs well with most meals. That being said, you could move the slider one way or the other to find that perfect fit. Their Riesling is light, sweet, flowery, and works with lighter meal like fish or salad. For a post dinner drink, try Nickle Creek’s Foster Nights, Decadence, or my personal favorite, Twilight. 

Looking to show off some of your mad mixing skills? Well, just don’t let it backfire. A perfectly mixed drink can be impressive, but if your YouTube skills aren’t up to spec, you could leave your audience wanting more. For an easy win, go for a whiskey sour. It has a refreshing silky taste with a rye whiskey base. Combine 2 oz of rye whiskey (try Whistlepig), ⅓ oz of simple syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar and water, dissolved), ⅓ oz of fresh lemon juice, 1 egg white (don’t worry, the alcohol will kill anything that could make you sick from a raw egg). Without ice, shake lightly to froth the egg, add ice and shake again. I like it on the rocks, but that’s just a preference. Add an orange slice for garnish. 

Valentine’s is just a day, but it does say something about us that we’ve set aside a day to tell someone you love them. So take a breath from this crazy world, and give someone a treat. And if you’re alone on Feb 14th don’t despair, just take it as an opportunity to give yourself a treat! Although I wouldn’t Google how the holiday started if I were you… It’s less romantic than Hallmark has made it. 

Thanks for reading!

Colin Carlton

More About Colin

Colin is the author of Infinite Velocity and a freelance writer. 

For more from him, please check out:

www.colincarlton.com

@colincarlton on Twitter + Instagram

**This post has been updated and revised from the original which appeared in February of 2017.**