5 Days of Grammy Cocktails: Toast Ed Sheeran's Nomination with this "Thinking Out Loud" Beverage

In honor of the upcoming Grammy Awards, we’re rolling out a series of pitch-perfect cocktails inspired by this year's nominees for Best Record of the Year. Each drink was dreamed up by Evan Charest, mixologist for the Patina Restaurant Group and the official caterer for the awards show.

Ed Sheeran’s love ballad “Thinking Out Loud” has already won the hearts of music fans everywhere, and been played as the First Dance tune at many a wedding. How can you not swoon over the lyrics, “And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70 / And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23”? “Since it’s a love song, I wanted to create a cocktail with a nice red color,” says Charest. Try the “Say it Loud” recipe below!

Say it Loud

Ingredients

1½ oz white rum
½ simple syrup
½ lemon
1 strawberry
2 basil leaves
Sparkling water
Garnish
Strawberry slice

Directions

Muddle strawberries and basil. Add all other ingredients, and shake and double strain into a chilled large coupe. Top with sparkling water, and garnish with a strawberry slice.