This Valentine's Day, play Cupid with some tantalizing treats for your beloved.

Oh sure, you can offer the object your affections the usual box of chocolates, tiny truffles or other common confections. But anybody can do that. Instead, why don't you woo your sweetie with taste temptations that they can sip as you snuggle? After all, it's infinitely easier to hold hands and whisper sweet nothings when you're not wielding sharp dining instruments.

Here are a few ideas to bring out your inner Cupid -- based on some of the favorite flavors and colors of the holiday:

Honey

Ah, honey. The golden nectar has a way of lending a kiss of sweetness to everything it touches.

Mead is honey's contribution to the fermentable world. Like grapes are to wine and grain is to beer, honey gives mead its unique flavor and texture. Mead is the original beverage of passion: An old custom was for newlyweds to drink mead for one full moon cycle after their wedding -- hence, the "honeymoon." Meads come in many different flavors and colors, depending on what is combined with the mead. There are a growing number of mead makers popping up all over the country. Contact a local wine or beer shop for information on how to get this light-but-potent beverage in your area. I am sure Cupid would approve.

Honey is a main ingredient in this recipe -- sure to warm up the object of your affections. You can make it without the optional rum, or add it if you want a bit more punch. It makes quite a bit, so you can let it simmer on the stove while you two lovebirds simmer in each other's arms. Instant aromatherapy!

Honey Grog

4 c. cider or apple juice
juice of one orange
¼ c. honey
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches long
1 tsp. grated orange peel
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ to ¾ c. light rum (optional)
Combine all ingredients except rum in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer 5 minutes.Stir in rum just before serving, if desired. (Makes 8 servings)

Chocolate

Chocolate, of course, is the quintessential Valentine's treat. It was viewed as an aphrodisiac by the Aztecs, who thought it invigorated men and made women less inhibited. When it was first introduced to Europe, chocolate quickly became the ideal gift for a someone to receive from an admirer or a loved one. Researchers are finding that certain components in chocolate act as mood-lifters, which could have something to do with why it is so popular -- and not just during Valentine's Day.

Chocolate and port wine are very compatible -- a perfect romantic combination. There is at least one American port maker who has mixed the two together -- and the results are like confection in a glass. Rosenblum Cellars offers Danielle Chocolate Port -- a dessert wine with hints of black cherry, spices, orange, vanilla and milk chocolate. Skip the chocolate dessert and save the calories! Danielle is available at many wine shops.

If your Pookie is more partial to beer, Boston-based Samuel Adams is brewing up a limited-edition chocolate-flavored beer for Valentine's Day.

Chocolate Bock, a dark beer with a complex full-body taste and velvety finish, will hit shelves just in time for Cupid to come calling.

But Sam Adams is not the first American brewery to try its hand at a chocolate beer. Rogue Brewing, out of Newport, Ore., offers a Chocolate Stout that is great all alone in a glass -- or over vanilla ice cream. Really. You won't even need a cherry on top.

Need to add a little fizz to your love life? A Seattle soda maker just announced that it is releasing a fudge-flavored soda pop just in time for Valentine's Day.

Perhaps tea tickles your honey's fancy. There are several chocolate teas on the market. Usually a black tea infused with chocolate, it's tasty both hot or over ice. There's even one version that is sprinkled with rosebuds. Now that's enough to make anybody feel romantic!

Apple

Ah, the forbidden fruit! Entice the apple of your eye with a nonalcoholic apple smoothie:

Frosty Apple Delight

2 c. cold skim milk
2 oz. apple juice concentrate
¾ c. vanilla ice cream
Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
Blend all ingredients until frothy. Pour into chilled mugs or glasses. Add extra cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.

If you want to add a little kick to your sweetheart's glass, try this apple drink. It's red, too -- the color of the season:

Red Apple

1 oz. 100-proof vodka
1 oz. apple juice
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grenadine
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

With treats like these, your sweeite might just want to skip dessert!

Got any special drink recipes you would care to share with other Liquid Solutions readers? Send me an e-mail!