Loving On Others + Espresso Martini (with a twist!) Recipe

We whole-heartedly believe that Valentine's Day should be a holiday that celebrates more than just romantic love. While we do cherish our Valentine's date night, we make sure to set aside time around the holiday to love on our friends and family.

Earlier this week, we talked about how we were exchanging love letters as gifts this year. If you're unable to be with your loved ones in person this year, why not write out a note of appreciation that you could send to someone who means the world to you? If you're short on time, or postage, you could draft up some sweet texts or videos to send out throughout the day. We know what it is like to be in need of words of encouragement, but unsure of how to ask for them. There may be someone you're close to who is feeling the same way and your words of appreciation could mean more to them than you ever know! Whether we are in a valley or on top of a peak in life, we cherish those meaningful notes and conversations with the people nearest to our hearts. In addition to expressing admiration, it is a sweet exercise in gratitude. We are filled with gratitude when we are reminded of how blessed we are to love and be loved by so many wonderful people.

Here are some Valentine's cards we made that you can save and send to anyone on your heart this year!

If we can, we like to make a plan to gather with our friends and family in the time leading up to Valentine's Day. It's no secret that we love to host, and as a way to give back to our loved ones we like to have little get togethers where we serve snacks and cocktails and just let everyone hang out responsibility-free and make memories at our house. It is so easy to let life get in the way and allow seeing friends and family face-to-face fall to the wayside. Sometimes, it just takes one person reaching out to bring everyone together. We encourage you to be that person.  We all have the time to gather, we just have to make it. When we reach out to those loved ones we haven't seen in a while, we tend to find out that they have been thinking about us all along too. 

Love is something to toast to! While champagne may be a Valentine's Day classic, this year when we lift our glasses they will be martini glasses. We have embraced the Espresso Martini trend, but couldn't help but give it our own little S+S twist. 

Ingredients:

• 1 part freshly brewed Espresso
• 1 part Tequila Blanco (You can use vodka for a more traditional EM!)
• 1 part Coffee Liquor (We used Kahlúa)
• Milk of choice for frothing (We used Almond Milk)
• Optional: Coffee Beans for garnishing

Utensils:

• Cocktail Shaker
• Ice cubes
• Milk Frother
• Glasses

How to:

1. Brew your espresso. (Note: We usually make two cocktails in one batch by brewing a double shot of espresso which is about 2.7 oz. The recipe calls for 1 shot of espresso per cocktail.)
2. Measure out your tequila (or vodka).
3. Measure out your coffee liquor.
4. Fill a cocktail shaker to the brim with ice cubes.
5. Pour the espresso, tequila, and coffee liquor into the shaker over the ice and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds to combine. 
6. Strain the contents of the shaker into your glass(es) leaving room at the top.
7. Froth enough milk to fill the remaining space in your glass(es).
8. Pour the frothed milk into the glass(es). 
9. Optional: Garnish with 3 coffee beans per cocktail as pictured.
10. Cheers!

We hope you enjoy our favorite deliciously creamy espresso martini recipe! It's not a true Texas cocktail if there's not tequila in it LOL. We'd love to know how you're celebrating Valentine's Day this year! We're not fully settled on our plans, so we'll be checking the comments for some inspiration.