In the run up to Easter, I thought I’d put up a few classic chocolate cocktails to give those of you with a sweet tooth something to sip on.
None of these drinks include syrupy chocolate liqueurs – they all call for the more subtle and mature flavours of a decent crème de cacao. Whilst there are many brands of cacao (of varying quality and degree of contact with actual cacao beans), they are broadly split into two – white and dark crème de cacao. In a good example, white (clear) should have been filtered to remove colour, while dark gains its colour from maceration on cacao and is obviously unfiltered. Sadly most examples are simply flavoured and coloured. Where white or dark are specified in these recipes, it’s more down to appearance of the drink than flavour, although hopefully you have access to product that’s seen some beans!
There can be no mention of chocolate cocktails without the classic Brandy Alexander. The origin of the Alexander part is obscure, but refers to the less common (but great) drink with gin instead of brandy. The later version has just been better referenced in history! Both variations are found in the Savoy Cocktail Book of the 1930s, with the Alexander found earlier in the 1915 Recipes for Mixed Drinks. The brandy drink is also known as an Alexander #2, or when made with white crème de cacao, a Panama.
Alexander/Brandy Alexander
60ml gin/brandy
30ml white crème de cacao (gin/Panama) or dark (Brandy Alexander)
30ml cream
Shake hard and strain into a cocktail glass. Add grated nutmeg to garnish.
My own favourite variation on the theme is the Campari Alexander from the Anvil bar in Houston; volumes are the same, replacing the spirit, and then garnishing with dehydrated Campari crystals. It’s a wonderfully complex drink, and a great way to drink Campari as a digestive!
The other more famous chocolate cocktail is one of the more lurid classics. The Grasshopper was first created some time around the end of the 1800s in Tujague’s restaurant, New Orleans. It falls firmly into the category of after-dinner drinks!
Grasshopper
45ml green crème de menthe
45ml white crème de cacao
30ml cream
Shake hard and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Moving forwards to the 1970’s, Poor Red’s in California is supposedly the origin of the Golden Cadillac. Something the bartenders must have later regretted, as these days they are a massive consumer of Galliano and supposedly once had to make around 3,000 of these in one night – that’s a lot of shaking (and calories, given the sugar and cream content of the drink).
Golden Cadillac
60ml white crème de cacao
20ml Galliano l’Autentico
30ml cream
Shake hard and strain into a cocktail glass.
Next up is the aptly titled Angel’s Tit. Apt once you’ve seen the drink, and apt given its origins during prohibition when everyone was being a little cheeky with their booze. There is a little confusion about this drink in the cocktail world, with a multitude of recipes for the Angel’s Tit and Angel’s Kiss. At its simplest, the Tit is just a shot of white cacao topped with cream and a cherry, but I prefer this variation. The best way of serving is to make the drinks, then chill for 30 minutes prior to serving, as it’s just too sweet served warm. It also helps to stabilise the layers so that you can drink the Maraschino and cacao through the cream. A great drink to have in place of a dessert.
Angel’s Tit
20ml Maraschino liqueur
20ml white crème de cacao
20ml whipped cream
Layer in a liqueur glass, top with a maraschino cherry.
Finally, a chocolate cocktail that doesn’t include cream and isn’t too sweet: the Twentieth Century Cocktail from the Café Royal Cocktail Book of 1937. My personal favourite (possibly after the Campari Alexander), this is subtle and interesting, with a refreshing taste that’s smoothed out by the cacao. In fact I might have one tonight.
Twentieth Century Cocktail
45ml Gin
15ml Lillet Blanc vermouth
15ml white crème de cacao
15ml fresh lemon juice
Shake hard and strain into a cocktail glass.
APR