Valentine’s Day is rapidly approaching as any warm blooded American woman will tell you. Hopefully you thought ahead and booked that hard-to-secure reservation or grabbed a little blue box from Tiffany that you just can’t wait to pass across the table to her. Just a few days early, with Cupid and a room full of hearts in mind, the folks at website The Dizzy Fizz gathered with dozens of thirsty guests downtown at the Astor Center for a little pre-V-Day celebration. The evening, titled ‘Cocktails Are For Lovers,’ brought together some of the tastiest booze inspired concoctions and served as a platform for guest mingling, sipping on fancy drinks, and letting one’s post-workday hair down during the two hour imbibing session.

The Astor Center is an absolutely ideal venue for an event of this caliber- spacious and classy with excellent street side views of the surrounding area. Even better than the setting however, was the opportunity to taste a plethora of different liquors and mixers for the first time. Upon arrival, guests were handed a pamphlet containing each of the drink recipes that we’d be tasting inside which would also give us the chance to recreate them in our own home. Our first stop after surveying the space was toward the back of the room and the Voli Light Vodka table. Smooth and drinkable (and inexpensive), Voli’s “Tropical OR-G” mixed their Mango-Coconut vodka with an orange vodka liqueur and a splash of club soda for an overall taste that was a little but fruity, but downright delicious. We also went wild for their “Espresso Kiss,” which mixed their Espresso-Vanilla vodka with some Irish cream for a rich dessert flavored cocktail.

Other cocktail highlights included the refreshing “Aperol Spritz,” “The Stetson Man,” concocted with John B. Stetson Bourbon, Rhum Clement’s “Between the Hammocks,” and finally and perhaps most fitting, the “Love Potion,” prepared with Champagne and Jine Vineflower Liqueur and topped with a cherry garnish. With so many different drinks to sip, East Village Filipino gastropub Jeepney was on hand doling out samples of their ‘Sloppy Jose,’ stuffed with sweetened pulled pork and some delectable spring rolls in sweet sauce. Despite being the only food purveyor on hand, lines for the tasty eats never reached any noticeable lengths as the serviceable vendors were more than happy to pile more on our plate with each repeat visit.

It’s been said time and time again that cocktails, are in fact, for lovers. Well, perhaps that’s not really a saying, but whether you arrived to the Astor Center alone, with some friends, or with someone more intimate, the vibe inside was one of enthusiasm and excitement, a testament to how well the event was entirely run. From coat check to the non-existent waits for food and drink, The Dizzy Fizz managed to do everything the right way. And as we wrapped up our evening inside, with the taste of sweet port and fruits still on our tongue, the precursor to Valentine’s Day managed to actually get us even more excited for the upcoming ‘Hallmark’ holiday. Here’s to hoping that the men in our lives don’t screw it up.

- Jane Van Arsdale