A Short Guide to the Perfect At-Home Date Night 

Between the ongoing global pandemic and a spate of nasty winter weather, indoors is looking pretty good right now. But just because you and your partner are cooped up at home, doesn’t mean the romance has to idle as well. There are still plenty of opportunities for fun, indulgence and entertainment nestled between the four walls of your home.  

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, now’s the perfect time for a refresher on how to craft the perfect at-home date night. Here’s how to keep the flame alive – even in the middle of winter.  

Create a Mood-Setting Playlist 

What do you love about date night? Sure, sitting down to a delicious meal is great, but you can get that by ordering in (more on that below). What truly makes a restaurant experience special is the ambience – and ambience starts with music.  

Before your next at-home date, take the time to create a mood-setting playlist to mimic your favorite date spot. Choose slow, lilting jazz to replicate the sounds of a swanky French restaurant. Or if dive bars are more your scene (who’s to judge?), pack your playlist with punk rock standards and honky-tonk hits.  

Order Fast, Fresh Delivery 

There are few things more mood-killing than opening a delivery box to find soggy, cold date-night food.  

Delivery can be every bit as fresh and fast as in restaurant dining – you just need to know where to look. Find a food delivery platform that offers 30-minute-or-less delivery (bonus points if there’s no delivery fee) and get fresh food delivered for your date night.  

Light some candles, shuffle your playlist and transfer your delivery food to table settings for a convincing replica of a restaurant experience. In fact, it might be even better than a restaurant.  

Learn the Basics of Mixology 

You know how to open a bottle of wine, but how adept are you at making cocktails?  

Cocktails aren’t just a tasty social lubricant; they can also be a meaningful way for you to perform acts of service on your next date. Thankfully, the basics of mixology aren’t that challenging. Balance sweet, sour and bitter flavours by using simple syrups, citrus fruits and bottled bitters. This article provides a handy rundown of mixology 101.  

Elevate Your Home Theater Experience 

You’ve eaten a delicious meal, swayed to some mood-setting tunes and shared a cocktail or two. Now, it’s time to retire to the couch for that other staple date-night tradition: a movie.  

While it can be tricky to reproduce the theater-going experience at home entirely, you can get pretty close. Invest in some colour-changing smart lightbulbs that you can dim via an app; that way, you can simulate the dimmed blue light of a theatre. Order snacks like popcorn and chocolate raisins from a food delivery platform. And turn your phones to silent! (You can even play a popular “Turn your phone off” PSA on YouTube before the movie starts).  

With the right playlist, the right food delivery platform, a cocktail shaker and an at-home theater, you can make at-home date night as good – or better – than an expensive night on the town.