Model-turned-mixologist Portia Freeman started her career aged 16 with a spread in Vogue, shot by the legendary fashion photographer Mario Testino.
Since then she has featured in countless magazines, including W and Italian Vogue, plus appeared on the catwalk for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Alexander McQueen. During the 2020 lockdown Portia started her successful ‘Portia’s Happy Hour’ series on IGTV where she creates cocktails for followers to make at home. Guests have included Jamie Oliver, Poppy and Cara Delevingne, Fearne Cotton, Daisy Lowe, Vick Hope and Sophie Ellis Bextor to name but a few.
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Portia Freeman is the host of Portia's Happy Hour
What with Valentine’s Day popping up around the corner, Portia Freeman the of self-confessed ‘Queen of at Home Cocktails’ has created “three drinks that will take you from the start, carry you gently to the middle and before you know it, the end of your evening with ingredients that we will all find knocking about in our kitchen or on the drinks trolly,” she explains. “They could also be served as a nightcap or for your brunch time tipple the following day… naughty.”
“Of course these cocktails taste incredible but I’ve also incorporated a cheeky aphrodisiac here or there… oh and better still, the alcohol content is totally flexible.”
3 Romantic Cocktails to set the mood this Valentine’s Day:
Lover Club
"Silky smooth texture and blushing pink in colour thanks to the raspberry syrup. This non alcoholic version of the iconic Clover Club is a great cocktail to get those Valentines Day feels flowing. Raspberries are said to increase your libido and increase stamina…"
When to drink: Before dinner
Pair it with: salty snacks
Ingredients:
- 50ml Raspberry non alc Gin (I used Whitley Neill Gin)
- 15ml Raspberry & Rose syrup (recipe below)
- 22.5ml lemon juice
- 5ml OSU Apple Cider Vinegar
- Egg white or 10ml aquafaba
- Ice
- Garnish: Dried or fresh raspberries
Raspberry & Rose Syrup
- 2 cups of frozen raspberries
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2.5ml rose water
- 1 cup water
- Dissolve the sugar in a pan on a low to medium heat. Once sugar is dissolved add your raspberries and rose water, turn off heat and allow to sit for 15-30mins (once cool). Add to container and store in fridge up to 4 weeks.
Method:
- Chill your glass in the fridge or using ice and some water.
- Add the first 5 ingredients to your shaker and shake without ice (dry shake) for 8 seconds.
- Add ice and (wet) shake for 8-10 seconds - get that egg white nice and frothy.
- Grab your glass, dispose of water and ice, double strain using a sieve.
- Garnish and enjoy
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Be My Galentine Granita
"Ok so this one is a little outside the box, it’s a cocktail and desert in one. Winning! You can eat it simply by itself and sip on some bubbles or enjoy it the way I prefer it… add all the fun together! Let the fizz of the bubbles to hit your tongue and the rest will do the talking."
When to enjoy: After dinner
Pair it with : Prosecco or champagne
Ingredients:
- 500ml Blood orange juice
- 1/4 heaped cup Demerara sugar
- 20ml lime juice
- tiny pinch rock salt
- 110ml Dubbonet
- 25ml Cointreau
- Champagne/Prosecco to top
- Garnish: orange zest
Method:
- On a medium to low heat, add the first 4 ingredients to a pan and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Set aside to cool (will take about 15 minutes.)
- Add the Dubbonet and Cointreau.
- Mix together, pour into a freezer friendly dish and pop into freezer.
- Using a fork, stir the mixture up after 45mins in the freezer, repeat this step when you remember and until you have shards of ice.
- Serve in a glass, add orange zest and top with bubbles.
Morning After Thrill
"Last but by no means least, please let’s welcome this absolute dreamboat of a cocktail. Fuelled with aphrodisiacs galore - chocolate, chilli and of course coffee. This one will have your date in the palm of your hand by the end of dinner."
When to enjoy : As a nightcap or for brunch the next day
Pair it with: Dark chocolate truffles
Ingredients:
- 25ml hot espresso (trust me, just make sure it’s hot - it’s a texture thing)
- 20ml Mr Black Coffee Liqueur
- 50ml Tito’s Vodka
- pinch chilli powder
- 5ml sugar syrup (I used Demerara syrup)
- 10ml Crème de Cacoa
- 1 teaspoon Jude’s Belgian chocolate sauce
- Ice
- Garnish: Dalgona coffee to top, grated chilli and chocolate
For the Dalgona topping:
- 1tbs coffee granules
- 1tbs granulated sugar
- 1tbs hot water
Method:
- In a bowl add your coffee granules, granulated sugar and hot water - whisk together until texture becomes frothy. Set to one side. (This is the topping)
- Add the first seven ingredients above to your shaker, followed by ice.
- Shake hard for 10 seconds.
- Pour into an ice filled glass and top with frothy coffee, chocolate and chilli.
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