Last night, we learned to mix a good drink with a few shakes of the wrist as part of a Valentine's Day dinner date at Cookbook Cafe in the Intercontinental Hotel and wanted to share the mixology secrets to making a romantic cocktail so you can impress your sweetheart by extending Valentine's Day to the weekend, woo your stalking obsession or soothe your poor lonely heart as you watch The Notebook over and over again and weep yourself to sleep.

Rose Petal Martini:
Pour six-seconds'-worth of vodka (Belvedere was what the classy cafe had on hand), one-second-worth of vermouth and another one-second-worth of rose liqueur into a tall glass filled with ice. Slap on the martini shaker, making sure to form a seal around the rim of the glass, shake it up while feeling very James Bond, then, with the drink in the shaker side, tap around the area where the glass and metal shaker meet to separate. Hold the strainer over the top of the shaker, pour your drink into a martini glass and garnish with a rose petal, making sure it's free of any creepy crawlies -- you don't need a bug to kill the mood, you can probably handle that on your own.

Note: The bottles all had those thin spout attachments that help measure the pouring, so pour your own libations accordingly.

Image courtesy of Melissa Nichol's Flickrstream