Chocolates are savories that go well in every season. During summers, we crave for the cold chocolate smoothies or the choco frappes. However, winters are the times that calls for steaming hot chocolate recipes. When the temperature drops down, you tuck under warm blankets enjoying the movie night. That is when a mug of dark hot chocolate can up the level of coziness. Regardless of the time of the year, your chocolate drink becomes more delicious when you mix it with the right kind of liquor. Following is a curated list of the top five adventurous and amazing recipes for chocolate cocktails for winter.
Chocolate Vodka Martini:
There are several recipes of Chocolate Martini available on the internet, but nothing beats the charm of the Chocolate Vodka Martini. It is perhaps the easiest of all chocolate cocktail recipes.
Ingredients:
- 2 parts of Chocolate liqueur
- 2-3 tablespoons chocolate liqueur for rimming
- 2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder for rimming
- 1 part Absolut Vodka
- 1 part creamer or half-and-half*
*half-and-half is a creamer blend that is half milk and half cream
Procedure:
The first step is to prepare the rimmed martini glass. Add 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate liqueur to a small-sized rimmed plate. Add the cocoa powder to another dish. Whisk the cocoa powder to break any lumps. Take a martini glass and dip it first in the chocolate liqueur and then into the cocoa powder. Your rimmed martini glass is ready. Set aside to dry out.
The next step is to prepare the cocktail. Add two parts of chocolate liqueur, 1 part of Vodka and 1 part of half-and-half in a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake for 20-30 seconds. Your chocolate cocktail is ready. Now, pour it into the rimmed martini glass and serve along with pieces of dark chocolate.
Chocolate bourbon ball:
The Chocolate bourbon ball is an excellent dessert drink if your favorite whiskey is bourbon. This drink is not too sweet. The chocolate and hazelnut add a pleasant aroma to this whiskey-based cocktail.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 parts of bourbon preferably Maker’s Mark
- 0.5 part Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
- 0.5 part Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
- Heavy cream (as per taste)
- Whipped cream for garnishing
- Chocolate shavings for garnishing
Procedure:
Take a shaker and add Maker’s Mark bourbon, Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur, Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur, and heavy cream to taste. Fill the shaker with ice and shake for 20 seconds. The cocktail is ready to serve. You can garnish the cocktail using whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Chocolate Brandy Alexander:
A chocolate brandy cocktail is a creamy drink that goes well after dinner. The combination of your favorite brandy cognac and creamy chocolate is an absolute delight for your palate. It was the favorite drink of John Lennon.
Ingredients:
- 1 part brandy liquor
- 1 part Dekuyper dark creme de cacao
- 1 part fresh cream
- dried cranberries for garnishing
- chopped dark chocolate for garnishing
- Fresh ground nutmeg
Procedure:
Take a shaker and add brandy liquor, dark creme de cacao, and fresh cream. Fill the shaker with ice and shake for 20 seconds. The cocktail is ready to serve. Garnish the cocktail using finely chopped dark chocolate and dried cranberries. You can even add some powdered nutmeg for garnishing.
Chocolate Coconut Rum:
The combination of chocolate and coconut is almost everyone’s favorite indulgence. This particular cocktail uses hot chocolate and coconut rum to mimic an old candy bar called the Mounds bar. You can choose from different brands of coconut rum to use like the Malibu, Bacardi, Captain Morgan, or RumHaven. For the hot chocolate, it is better to prepare the hot chocolate traditionally rather than going for a cocoa mix. An old-fashioned style of hot chocolate gives you a richer taste of chocolate.
Ingredients:
- 60ml coconut rum
- 180ml hot chocolate (or sufficient to fill the mug)
- Whipped cream for garnishing
- shredded coconut for garnishing
Procedure:
Pre-heat a mug for serving the cocktail. Add the coconut rum and hot chocolate into the heated mug. Stir the contents well. Garnish the cocktail with whipped cream and shredded coconut. The drink is ready to serve.
Chocolate Wine:
Chocolate and Red Wine is not just a tasty but healthy combination. Red wine and Dark chocolate (with cocoa content of 70% or higher) contain antioxidants like Resveratrol that slow down aging and promote good cardiovascular health. The recipe for this cocktail includes a bottle of Merlot, homemade hot chocolate topped with delicious red velvet cake. It is a perfect couple drink for the wintry Valentine’s Day dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup of Merlot Red wine
- 45 grams finely chopped dark chocolate
- 15 grams of chocolate
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Salt (to taste)
- Whipped cream
- Red velvet cake
Procedure:
Take a small saucepan and pour milk into it. Heat the saucepan on medium-high heat such that the milk is hot and steaming. Make sure that the milk does not boil. When the milk is warm enough, reduce the heat to low, pour the wine, salt, and chocolate. Keep whisking until the chocolate melts fully. Keep stirring the contents to prevent the chocolate from burning and sticking to the pan. After getting a reasonably liquidy consistency, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Pour the contents into a mug and top it with some whipped cream. Sprinkle crumbs of the red velvet cake on top. Your chocolate red wine cocktail is ready to serve. This cocktail goes well with a slice of red velvet cake.
Conclusion:
To summarize, if you are planning your next candlelit dinner on a winter night, then don’t just settle for a plain hot chocolate drink. Try out the above-mentioned tempting chocolate cocktails to add zing to your night.
