Ditch the stuffy restaurant, here’s how to do BYO V-Day fun.

Even if you think Valentine’s Day is a commercial holiday invented to sell expensive chocolate in heart-shaped boxes and giant teddy bears, you’ll likely still feel the pressure of Feb 14. The romantic expectation is there for most couples no matter how recently “coupled” you are. In fact, it’s almost more tricky now because you don’t want to be cliché in your gesture, but doing nothing feels heartless… maybe we shouldn’t have been so hard on the chocolates.

To help you out, we’ve pulled together seven date ideas that don’t require a reservation and welcome a BYO bottle, which, of course, we have recommendations for.

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Date mode: “I can cook.”

Cooking on a date gets you brownie points in the movies, and (if you’re decent at it) in real life too. So roll up your sleeves, pull out your nan’s recipe (or Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals) and delight your date with fine culinary skills. As you’re curating the menu, you should also concoct a cocktail. Use Ink Sloe & Berry Gin to mix up a Charlie Chaplin or Gin Spritz.

Date mode: “I’m letting you in on my low-key local favourite.”

It’s a trope of Valentine’s Day that all the big restaurants are booked out, but your local easy-eats place: the sushi train, pizzeria or thai restaurant (that does the best Pad Thai this side of Bangkok) is probably empty and pro-BYO. Plus, there’s something quite intimate about taking a date to your secret fave. You’re letting them see the real you. Hot. Just in case they don’t see it that way, make sure the bottle you bring is special. House of Arras A by Arras Premium Cuvée NV is special, yum, and, you know, sparkling goes with everything.

Pouring a glass of House of Arras sparkling wiht some Thai takeaway

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A picnic setting with sandwiches and piccalo bottles

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Date mode: “I’m romantic AF.”

This holiday, you’ve got to go all out – maybe you’ve been a less than amazing partner recently, or maybe they got you a truly great Christmas present (which you did not reciprocate) – this is how to do it. After work, load up a picnic basket and take them to a predetermined spot with a pretty view of the descending sun. Yep, we’re talking sunset picnic. Make sure you pack the perfect picnic spread and load a playlist of sweetie pie music on your phone for extra ambiance. With the romantic scene set, Lanson Le Rosé Champagne in practical mini sizes say, “I’m on cloud nine with you, but I’m no stranger to a spreadsheet.” If sparking wine isn’t your thing, swap it for Kopparberg Rose Cider.

Date mode: “I am totally capable of making a plan.”

It’s often the thought and effort behind a date that makes your significant other feel, well, significant. The outdoor cinema is the perfect intersection of a night that’s just the two of you, but also a fun activity they’ll get to brag about the next day. Most outdoor theatres are BYO food and drink, but also have food trucks, so you can pack perfect your movie snacks, but if you don’t remember everything, it’s not a disaster. We recommend a balmy night and a bottle of Rosie Prosecco Rose to really pull it all together.

Enjoying popcorn and a bottle of sparkling rosé

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Date mode: “I want to do normal life with you.”

If your relationship is relatively new, you may have done the restaurants, the up-the-coast get away and some eventful nights out with friends, but you haven’t done the normal stuff yet. It’s time for the takeaway and TV date. It’s cosy, it’s relaxed, it could be very sweet and very fun. Again, put some planning behind it: have the Uber Eats order ready (hopefully you know what they like) and have a double feature in mind. If you do need some guidance, make it specific: “Pizza or Mexican?” “Holland or Hanks?”. Movie marathons always go late into the night, so serve the aptly named Hendricks Lunar Gin in G&Ts. It has a warm, baked spices flavour that gives it a little something extra.

Date mode: “I’m spontaneous”

This year Valentine’s Day is a Monday, so why not show you’re not a “slave to the man” by booking a long weekend (for them also) and showering them with a V-Day Champagne brunch. So much better than a sales meeting, you can whip up some bacon and eggs, make a pot of coffee and treat the morning like it’s your very own Sunday. You can’t have a Champagne brunch without Champagne, and none pairs better with bagels than Tsarine Champagne Rosé Brut. With notes of strawberry, redberry and blackberry, it’s right at home on a breakfast tray.

A couple cheers with a glass of rosé Champagne

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Making cocktails with Ciroc Watermelon Vodka

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Date mode: “I’m secure enough in our relationship to hang with other people.”

You’ve probably spent the last two years at home, just the two of you. You survived lockdown(s), and not broken up, and your reward should be to have fun together while also with other people. A Galentine’s Day house party is what you both need. Invite your mates, tell them to dress cute, and when everyone’s having a little boogie in your kitchen, you and your partner can make eyes across the room at each other. Sexy eyes, not “I can’t believe you didn’t put the bins out” eyes. Different, right? There’s only one drink appropriate at a house party, and that’s vodka. And because this event is all about trying new things, we’re saying Cîroc Watermelon Vodka. All the flavour of carving out a watermelon and filling it with vodka, but none of the effort. If you want a more diverse drink offering, add some cans of Pirate Life Brewery Acai & Passionfruit Sour Cans. They’re fresh, fun and very 2022.