Crafting cocktails is both an art and a skill.
A talented mixologist can create well-balanced, drinkable, and visually stunning beverages that leave you craving more. Unfortunately, not many bartenders have perfected this craft, and it shows. However, there are a select few who excel in this field, and Fraser Tait, Mixologist from Skua, a neighbourhood restaurant and late-night cocktail bar in Stockbridge, Edinburgh is among them. His expertise and creativity elevate the cocktail experience, making each drink a true delight.
For Valentine’s Day, I’ve been searching for a cocktail that truly embodies the essence of love—not the intense, passionate fling of first love, but the quiet, enduring love that comes from years of being together and deeply understanding one another. With this brief, I approached Fraser, asking if he could craft such a cocktail. And he delivered! The result is a beautifully delicate creation that you’ll instantly appreciate upon tasting. It’s light, pink, and petite—a true testament to the subtle, lasting love we cherish. The cocktail is called “Be Still my beating Heart!” and it’s ever so pretty!
Fraser selected this Valentine’s cocktail for its seasonality, featuring blood oranges which are currently in season. Skua, as a seasonal and sustainable restaurant and cocktail bar, prides itself on using fresh, in-season ingredients. Additionally, bergamot is also in season and serves as the base element for Italicus Bergamot Liqueur, giving the cocktail a delicate hint of citrus. The complexity of the Campari with is distinctive bitterness takes on a sweeter and herbaceous profile in this cocktail whilst the Bergamot marries so well with the blood oranges.
Skua Edinburgh will be running this Cocktail all of next week in the run up to Valentine’s Day on Friday, and throughout the weekend, but they’ve also kindly let me have the recipe and informed me that all these ingredients are easily available you’re your local Supermarkets.
BE STILL MY BEATING HEART COCKTAIL
Ingredients
- 30ml Vodka
- 15ml Campari
- 15ml Italicus Bergamot Liqueur
- Rose water spray
- Frozen Raspberries
- 30ml Blood orange juice
- A drop of Better Bitters
- A drop of Peychaud’s Bitters
- Ice
Method
- Add ice to the Coupe glass and let it chill
- In a cocktail shaker, add all the ingredients to ice
- Shake, shake and shake some more
- Strain the liquid into one half of the cocktail shaker, leaving the ice in the other half
- Remove ice from your Coupe glass
- Strain the liquid through a sieve tapping the side of the sieve lightly to create that foam topping
- Top with a frozen raspberry
- Enjoy
Now that you have this sexy cocktail, you most definitely need a perfect food pairing. This cocktail is the ideal companion for an antipasti platter or a Valentine’s charcuterie board brimming with bold, punchy cheeses like blue cheese, aged cheddar or gouda, salty cured meats like salami, prosciutto and choziro, and sweet, juicy fruits like figs, grapes and dried apricots.
I hope your Valentine’s Day is brimming with love, whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s, Galentine’s, Palentine’s, or simply indulging in a stellar cocktail.
Slainte to love in all its forms!
Adele Conn “TartanSpoon”