Why have a dry January when you can have an indulgent one instead? Up next in our month of treats, we’re serving up four delicious cocktails with chocolate…
What’s the quickest way to lend your drink a bit of decadence? Simple: just add chocolate. In our third Indulgent January instalment, we’ve collected four different recipes for cocktails with chocolate, all of which aim to make this dark, chilly month that much sweeter. Whether you’re after a toasty tipple (hot chocolate spiked with sloe gin is one of our seasonal favourites) or a drink that doubles as dessert (simply add a scoop of ice cream or two), these sweet sips are just the thing to enjoy right now-resolutions be damned.
Mint Chocolate Melt
First up, we’ve got a serve that takes its inspiration from the classic Grasshopper. However, this one makes the traditional tipple that much more indulgent, thanks to a generous amount of ice cream (and a healthy glug of gin).
15ml crème de menthe
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
25ml cream
Handful chocolate chips
Mint leaves
Blend all ingredients together in an electric blender until very well combined. Serve in a Martini glass. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Spicy Sloe Gin Hot Chocolate
Save this one for the coldest of days, when even a steaming mug of hot chocolate isn’t enough to shake off the chill. Tickled with chili and fragrant spices – and spiked with sloe gin – this drink is a natural defroster.
4 tsp spice mix (see below)
50ml Sipsmith Sloe Gin
600ml milk
142ml pot double cream
100g chopped chocolate
Pour the milk, double cream, spices and chopped chocolate into a pan. Bring gently to the boil, whisking until smooth. Remove from the heat. To each mug, add 50ml of sloe gin before topping up with the hot chocolate mix and stirring gently to combine. Garnish with freshly grated dark chocolate.
For the spice mix:
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Chocolate Alexander
As far as cocktails with chocolate go, this one is deliciously simple. Once you’ve tried your hand at making a classic Gin Alexander, try this alternative, which mingles dark fruit and, yes, chocolate.
50ml Sipsmith Sloe Gin
One scoop Jude’s Truly Chocolate ice cream
Place both ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake, shake, and shake some more until the ingredients are combined (the arm exercise here is well worth the end result). Once sufficiently mixed, strain and serve in a chilled coupe glass.
Chocolate Orange
Heartbroken that your Terry’s chocolate orange has long since been devoured? Console yourself with our Chocolate Orange cocktail instead. This drink blends the creaminess of white crème de cacao with a dash of Cointreau.
15ml white crème de cacao
Dash of Cointreau
Chocolate shavings
Prior to making your cocktail, pour your chocolate shavings onto a plate. Moisten the rim of your Martini glass and press into the shavings, twisting very gently and tapping off the excess, in order to create a chocolate rim.
In an ice-filled shaker, shake vodka, crème de cacao and Cointreau. Strain into your prepared Martini glass, and garnish with two chocolate chips.
Feature images © Roxiller/iStock; Lilechka75/iStock
