How To: 7 Aphrodisiac Cocktails to Put You in the Mood

There are so many cutesy pink, red, and heart-shaped desserts and drinks put out on Valentine's Day, but none of those really get you into a low-light mood. Instead, turn up the heat with one of these aphrodisiac cocktails for grown-ups.

What all experts seem to agree on is that no food will automatically "turn on" your sex drive. However, if you're with your significant other or a newer flame, these food-and-cocktail combinations may help to rev your engine.

#1. Bourbon Berry Cocktail

The zinc and folic acid in strawberries might play a role in upping your sex drive, and the antioxidants and vitamins in berries are an overall health-booster. This refreshing bourbon and berry cocktail might just be the thing, and it's deliciously made with mint, Wild Turkey 81, lemon, simple syrup, and seltzer. Get the full recipe here.

#2. Quail Egg Sake Shooters

Egg yolks can increase desire while an amino acid in them helps prevent erectile dysfunction. Quail eggs are smaller than chicken eggs, so they're perfect for shooters. There is also a much smaller salmonella risk when eating raw quail eggs than with chicken eggs.

Ingredients:

• Hot sauce (like Tabasco or Sriracha)
• Fresh quail eggs
• Sake
• Fish roe
• Ponzu sauce
• Sesame oil
• Scallions, for garnish
• Sesame seeds, for garnish

How to Make Quail Egg Sake Shooters:

1. Pour about an inch of sake into shot glasses.
2. Add ¼ inch or less of Ponzu and a few drops of hot sauce into shot glasses.
3. Crack the quail egg into the shot glasses and top with one teaspoon or 1½ teaspoon of fish roe. Add a drop of sesame oil.
4. Top with scallions and sesame seeds as garnish, if desired.

#3. Whisky-Sriracha Candies

These amazing heart-shaped candies are made of Sriracha, whisky, sugar, water, and corn syrup. Chili peppers release endorphins in the body, which could increase sexual pleasure, so this hits on all pleasure points: it's easy on the eyes, melts in your mouth, and turns you on from the inside out. Get the full instructions on how to make them here.

#4. Chocolate Martini

There are a couple of chemicals in chocolate called tryptophan and phenylethylamine that may affect romantic feelings, but scientists don't think they are the real reason behind the chocolate-mood connection. Instead, they think the aphrodisiac effects of chocolate are psychological, not chemical.

Regardless of the hows and whys, the words "chocolate" and "cocktail" alone are enough to perk up any mood. Put the two things together and you're guaranteed to put a spring in any step. Watch the video below to learn how to make a chocolate martini.

#5. Spicy Oyster Shooters

Oysters have been celebrated as an aphrodisiac for hundreds of years, but modern research has shown that the zinc and amino acids in oysters may be responsible for a libido boost.

If you don't like oysters or Bloody Marys, then you should move on. You won't like these. I love both oysters and Bloody Marys, so these are among my favorite things to have in a shot glass. You need fresh raw oysters, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cocktail sauce, Bloody Mary mix, and vodka to put these together, but they're easy to make once you mix the pour-over liquid portion. Get the full recipe at Tablespoon.

#6. Champagne Ginger Cocktail

Ginger is an age-old libido booster in Eastern medicine, and it's an intensely warming spice. It heats you up! This champagne cocktail is made out of homemade ginger syrup, vodka, and champagne (or sparkling wine). Learn how to make this bubbly and spicy cocktail over at Food Network.

#7. Snake Wine

We don't (yet?) have any scientific studies to back it up, but snake wine is a very, very old Asian aphrodisiac and cure-all. It's made by drowning a small cobra in rice wine and then steeping and fermenting it to create a health tonic. Once you make it, however, it is said to be good for 500 years.

Imports on snake wine are restricted and the market is completely unregulated. Read: Buyer beware. The term "snake oil salesman" comes from exactly this scenario.

If you want to try your hand at making snake wine, get the full tutorial and guide here. Caution: It requires buying and killing your own cobra.

Bone Up on Your Cocktail Know-How

Need more cocktails skills? Learn the perfect formula for mixing any cocktail and how to make bad wine better without any special tools.

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