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    Home » Recipes » Holiday » Valentine's Day » Love Potion Number 9: A Spicy, Fiery Sipper with a Bang!

    PUBLISHED: February 7, 2019 • By Toni Dash 25 Comments

    Love Potion Number 9: A Spicy, Fiery Sipper with a Bang!

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Love Potion Number 9 title image

    Love Potion Number 9 is a sweet, spicy non-alcoholic Valentine’s Day drink with a special ‘bang’. Just like love itself. Can be spiked!

    Love Potion Number 9 title image

    What would Valentine’s Day be without a love potion?

    An exciting elixir to dazzle the eyes and palate with a bit of the unexpected.

    Love Potion Number 9 is a sweet-spicy elixir perfect for celebrating love in a playful way.

    It’s a non-alcoholic sipper BUT can be spiked (see below).

    What is Love Potion Number 9?

    Love Potion Number 9 is a sweet, sassy non-alcoholic drink designed with Valentine’s Day in mind!

    Just like love, it has some surprises, is sweet with a little bit of fire too.

    Ingredients in Love Potion Number 9

    • Homemade Raspberry Simple Syrup (that smells as sweet as perfume and tastes like heaven)
    • Spicy Ginger Ale
    • Red Hots hearts
    • Served in a glass rimmed with Cherry Pop Rocks

    Isn’t love all about the fireworks? These will just happen in your mouth.

    Pop Rocks rimmed Love Potion Number 9 glass with Red Hots hearts at bottom

    Spiking Love Potion Number 9

    If serving adults and wishing to add some liquor, 1.5 ounces of liquor per serving/drink is the suggested guideline for a drink of this volume.

    For adults wishing to add in a boozy touch I’d suggest:

    • a splash of Ginger Vodka, OR
    • a smidge of Cinnamon Schnapps (to keep it hot and spicy), OR
    • something sweet like Raspberry Vodka

    TIP: Steer away from uber sweet liqueurs as they are an invitation for a hangover.

    Homemade Raspberry Simple Syrup

    The homemade raspberry simple syrup is a recipe to hang onto (in the recipe card below).

    It has a beautiful, natural flavor delivering a fresh raspberry taste.

    In addition to this fizzy Love Potion Number 9, it is delicious when added to:

    • sparkling water
    • cocktails
    • over ice cream
    • anywhere some berry-flavored sweetening would perk up a dish

    Making simple syrups are very easy too!

    This guide on How to Make Simple Syrup gives lots of great information and easy recipes!

    Love Potion Number 9 pouring simple syrup

    Cherry Pop Rocks Glass Rim

    Rimming the Love Potion Number 9 with Pop Rocks makes for an unexpected surprise.

    The pop rocks rim of the glass set things off with a bang!

    TIPS for Using Pop Rocks

    I’ve rimmed cocktails with Pop Rocks before (Candy Corn Martini with Pop Rocks rim). These cherry Pop Rocks seemed larger than other Pop Rocks flavors I’d used.

    TIP #1: The Pop Rocks can be used ‘as is’ or processed through a blender or a mini chopper (mini food processor) to make a finer, more sugar-like texture which still pop.

    The finer grain sill provide more coverage to the glass rim (refer to the photos).

    TIP #2: When Pouring the Love Potion Number 9 ingredients into the rimmed glass, be careful not to wet the Pop Rocks or they will begin to pop.

    Pop Rocks rimmed glasses for Love Potion Number 9

    How to Make Love Potion Number 9

    Making Love Potion Number 9 is easy. The main instructions are for making it by the glass.

    An option for how to serve it for a larger group in a punch-style are below.

    1. Place 6-8 regular Red Hots OR 2 larger heart-shaped Red Hots in the bottom of each tall glass.
    2. Add the raspberry simple syrup
    3. Fill with Ginger Ale (NOTE: do not fill up to the Pop Rocks or they will begin to explode).

    Since the ginger ale is chilled, no ice is needed.

    Love Potion Number 9 Punch

    Want to serve this as a punch instead?

    Determine the number of desired servings and multiply that times the ingredient portions in the recipe card below.

    To Make Love Potion Number 9 Punch:

    • Combine the Raspberry Simple Syrup and Ginger Ale in the punch bowl
    • Rim the individual glasses with the Pop Rocks (instructions in recipe card below)
    • Add the Red Hots hearts to the individual glasses
    • Fill with the raspberry simple syrup/ginger ale mixture

    Making Love Potion Number 9 rimmed glasses with heart Red Hots

    Using Dry Ice

    The foggy effect of Love Potion Number 9 in the photos is due to dry ice.

    If you want to use dry ice, I suggest making it into a punch as described above instead of individual glasses.

    Though liquids that have had dry ice in them are safe to drink, consuming or handling the dry ice itself can lead to burns due to the below zero temperature.

    This Dry Ice GUIDE provides all information you’ll need to know about (from where to buy and use tips).

    Three glasses of Love Potion Number 9

    If you’ve tried any of this Love Potion Number 9 recipe please RATE THE RECIPE below!

    Love Potion Number 9 title image

    Love Potion Number 9

    Love Potion Number 9 is a sweet-spicy elixir perfect for celebrating love in a playful way. The pop rocks rim of the glass set things off with a bang! 
    5 from 12 votes
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 1 drink (a ingredients listed per glass and may be multiplied to fulfill desired amount) (simple syrup recipe makes 2 cups Raspberry Simple Syrup)
    Calories: 208kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for Raspberry Simple Syrup:

    • 1 cup Granulated Sugar
    • 1 cup Water
    • 2 ½ cups fresh Raspberries (2 6-ounce cartons)

    Ingredients for Love Potion #9:

    • Cherry Pop Rocks (6 packages per 4 glasses)
    • Red Hots (6-8 per glass)
    • Raspberry Simple Syrup (2 tablespoons per glass)
    • Ginger Ale (8 ounces per glass), chilled
    • Collins glasses

    Instructions

    Instructions for Raspberry Simple Syrup:

    • Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high meat. Stir frequently to dissolve the sugar.
    • Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes; smash the raspberries with a mixing spoon or whisk while simmering to break them up. Remove from heat and allow to steep until cool (approximately 1 hour).
    • Strain through a fine mesh sieve and keep sealed in the refrigerator for use.

    Rimming the Glass with Pop Rocks

    • Pour the pop rocks into a shallow saucer or other small plate. 
    •  Pour some of the raspberry simple syrup into a bowl large enough for the top of the glass to fit into. 
    • Turn a glass upside down and touch just the top of the glass opening to the simple syrup; enough to moisten the rim only. 
    • Place the glass opening down in the plate of pop rocks and rotate from side to side to coat with pop rocks. NOTE: The pop rocks can gently be pushed toward the outside of the glass to aid in coating. 
    • Place the glass, still upside down, onto a clean surface and allow to sit for the pop rocks to dry onto the glass (approximately 10 minutes). This aids in the adherence to the glass.

    Instructions for Love Potion Number 9:

    • Add 6-8 red hots (or if you find larger heart shaped red hots as shown in the photos, use 2) in the bottom of each glass.
    • Add the raspberry simple syrup and fill with ginger ale (NOTE: do not fill up to the pop rocks or they will begin to explode).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 39mg | Sugar: 54g | Iron: 1.9mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!

    Originally published February 10, 2015. Updated February 2019.

    « Shrimp Creole: A Spicy Fast and Easy Dinner Recipe
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jocelyn says

      February 11, 2019 at 10:49 am

      5 stars
      This is seriously such a fun drink! I love the dry ice effect too!!!

      Reply
    2. Becky Hardin says

      February 07, 2019 at 8:54 pm

      5 stars
      These sound so so good. I love red hots and everything about these.

      Reply
    3. Sommer says

      February 07, 2019 at 6:53 pm

      5 stars
      Such a fun beverage! Love it!

      Reply
    4. Kara says

      February 07, 2019 at 4:10 pm

      5 stars
      What a fun drink for Valentine’s Day! I love the idea of rimming the glasses with pop rocks!

      Reply
    5. NATASHA says

      February 07, 2019 at 2:10 pm

      5 stars
      what a cute idea for the kids classroom valentines party!

      Reply
    6. Mallory Lanz says

      February 07, 2019 at 1:06 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a fun drink for Valentine’s Day! I love the color!

      Reply
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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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