Chocolate Liqueur – The Perfect Drink for Chocoholics!

If you are a bit of a chocoholic, then you will be familiar with hot chocolate drinks, chocolate milkshakes, and maybe even a chocolate smoothie.  But what about chocolate liqueur?  Could this be the perfect liqueur for chocoholics?  And even if you are just a modern chocolate fan, this tasty spirit is one to add to your drinks cabinet to make some very delicious cocktails.

What is chocolate liqueur?

Chocolate liqueur is an alcoholic drink that uses a base such as whiskey or vodka and has chocolate in it to give it a clear chocolate taste.  You may also hear it called crème de cacao – this is usually available in dark or light options and is another name for chocolate liqueur.

But for readers in the US, it is different from chocolate liquor.  Interestingly, while liquor is a common name for what we called spirits in the UK, chocolate liquor refers to something that is a paste-like ingredient made from cocoa butter and cocoa solids and doesn’t contain alcohol.  Confusing but true!

Chocolate liqueur comes from France (hence the name crème de cacao) and seems to have been around a long time – as early as the 1660s, it was mentioned as being for sale!  By the early 19^th century, it had traveled around and cookbooks in the US were using it in recipes as well as here in the UK and in Spain.  Now we have a whole range of different chocolate liqueurs and brands producing them.

Examples of chocolate liqueur drinks

So if you go shopping for some chocolate liqueur today, you will find plenty of choices.  They fall roughly into three categories – liqueur, cream liqueur, and crème de cacao.

Chocolate liqueur

The basic liqueur is a strong and sweet alcoholic drink that uses distilled spirits flavoured with chocolate and often with sugar added.  It is similar to cordials and schnapps and doesn’t contain any cream.  This means the colour is either clear or a shade of brown.  Example brands include:

• Godiva
• Crave chocolate truffle liqueur
• Mozart Black (dark chocolate)
• Patron XO Café Dark Cocoa (this is made with tequila so a bit different)
• Sabra liqueur (dark chocolate and Jaffa oranges)
• Thornton’s chocolate liqueur

Cream liqueur

Cream liqueur is where the original liqueur is mixed with cream and often has extra flavours added to it, Bailey’s is one of the best-known.  Some examples include:

• Bailey’s Chocolat Luxe
• Cadbury’s cream liqueur
• Dooley’s White Chocolate cream liqueur
• Godiva White Chocolate
• Mozart Gold Chocolate cream liqueur

Crème liqueur

A crème liqueur has more sugar added and often a thicker texture.  It doesn’t always have cream in it but has a consistency that is thicker than the standard liqueur, hence the name.  Crème de cacao is also used as a term for these drinks.  Bols make both a light and dark crème de cacao as do De Kuyper.

How to make homemade chocolate liqueur

Another great thing about chocolate liqueur is that it is completely possible to make it at home.  This example recipe from BBC Good Food needs just five ingredients to make a tasty drink to use in cocktails, in coffee, or in desserts.

Ingredients

• 750ml vodka (or another spirit if you want to experiment)
• 500ml double cream
• 300ml condensed milk
• 2 liters milk (full fat)
• 1 block of your favourite chocolate

Melt the chocolate will 300ml milk until it is smooth then leave to cool a little.  Add the condensed milk to the mix and once combined, add the vodka and cream.  Use the rest of the milk to make it weaker if you want or add more vodka to make it stronger.  Add to a bottle and chill before serving.

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Tasty chocolate liqueur cocktails

There are plenty of chocolate liqueur recipes for cocktails as well as enjoying it on its own or with a simple mixer.  Many of the best are classic drinks made into chocolate liqueur cocktails by substituting a normal base spirit with the chocolate version.

Simple Chocolate Martini

What’s great about this simple martini recipe is that you can use any of the different liqueurs in it to see what you like best.  You need 2 ounces of vodka to 1.5 ounces of whatever chocolate drink you choose.  Add to a shaker with ice cubes then strain into a martini glass.  To garnish, add a chocolate candy or a small chocolate piece and add some powdered cocoa around the rim to make it look special.

Death by Chocolate Martini

We’ve all heard of the Death by Chocolate desserts but this is the cocktail version and is similar to a martini.  You need 1 part vodka to 2 parts whichever chocolate liqueur you prefer and 1 part half and half (double cream).  Add ingredients to a shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass.  Rim with cocoa powder if you like.

Chocolate Margarita

Another reinvented classic, this margarita cocktail is an interesting mixture of tequila and chocolate flavours that is definitely worth a try.  You need 2 ounces of white tequila, 1-ounce chocolate liqueur, 1-ounce cream, and a dash of chocolate bitters.  Add everything to a blender with ice and add a splash of fresh orange juice and the same of fresh lime juice.  Blend then add to a margarita glass and rim the glass with sugar and cocoa powder.

Love-Love

This cocktail from Absolut would make a brilliant summer drink.  You use 1 part cognac to 1 part chocolate liqueur and 1 part cream.  You also add 1 part of vanilla ice cream.  Put everything in a shaker with ice, shake, and strain into a cocktail glass.

Bourbon Ball

This recipe is specifically for white crème de cacao (it uses the DeKuyper one) as well as their Hazelnut liqueur but you could try it with different chocolate spirits for an experiment.  You need 1.5 parts bourbon, 0.5 parts crème de cacao and 0.5 parts hazelnut liqueur as well as some heavy (double) cream.  Add the ingredients to a shaker and mix then garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

White Chocolate Peppermint Martini

This is a great recipe for those Christmas cocktails and makes use of white creme de cacao alongside peppermint schnapps for a simple variation of the martini.

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The best alcohol for chocolate fans

There’s no doubt that the different types of chocolate liqueur are the best possible alcohol for chocoholics, but it also brings something different to lots of cocktails that means even if you are less of a fan, it is worth trying.

What’s your favourite type of chocolate?  And have you tried a liqueur based on it?  Tell us in the comments below!