4 summer cocktails with chocolate

Brandy Alexander: recipe 

Born in the 1920s in England, a Brandy Alexander is an after-dinner drink with a sweet, delicate taste best savoured slowly. Making a Brandy Alexander is very simple and you don’t even need a measuring cap because all the ingredients are used in equal parts. 

 

Brandy Alexander ingredients:

• 20 ml brandy; 

• 20 ml crème de cacao; 

• 20 ml cream; 

• ice as required; 

• nutmeg as required.  

 

How to make a Brandy Alexander 

• First, put a few ice cubes in a shaker and add equal parts brandy, crème de cacao and cream. 

• After shaking, pour the drink into a classic Martini glass and grate over some nutmeg or—for an even tastier alternative—dark chocolate. 

On a hot summer evening, we recommend chilling your glasses in the freezer for a few minutes before serving the Brandy Alexander... your guests will appreciate it! 

 

Chocolate Martini

Perhaps one of the most famous and popular drinks of all time, the Martini is a cocktail made with Gin and Dry Vermouth. It’s perfect for cocktail hour—maybe even alongside some home-made snacks—and the chocolate version is a great option after dinner thanks to its sweet, delicate flavour. 

 

Ingredients:  

• 50 ml Gin; 

• 30 ml Dry Vermouth; 

• 50 g dark chocolate; 

• 1⁄2 teaspoon cocoa powder; 

• ice as required. 

 

How to make a chocolate Martini 

• First, melt the dark chocolate over a bain-marie, leave it cool for a few minutes, then pour it into the bottom of a classic Martini glass. 

• In a shaker, mix the Gin with the Vermouth, cocoa powder and ice, then pour the drink into the glass. 

Before serving the chocolate Martini, top with a sprinkling of bitter cocoa powder or dark chocolate curls. Those who prefer smooth flavours can opt for white chocolate chips, while lovers of stronger flavours can dip the rim of the glass directly into the cocoa before pouring in the drink, to make each sip even more intense! 

 

Chocolate Negroni 

Also known as a Choco Negroni, the chocolate Negroni is a recently invented drink with a spring-like flavour. The Venchi version includes the use of dark chocolate and rum spread, an ingredient that will win guests over straight away with its velvety texture. 

 

Ingredients:  

• 30 ml Gin; 

• 30 ml Campari; 

• 30 ml Vermouth; 

• Venchi dark chocolate and rum spread as required; 

• ice as required. 

 

How to prepare make chocolate Negroni 

• Brush the rim of the glass with Venchi’s dark chocolate and rum spread. 

• Put the ice in the glass, followed by the rest of the ingredients, stirring gently with a spoon. 

To make the chocolate Negroni cocktail even more inviting, after brushing the rim of the glass with the spread, you can dip it in Chocoviar: the mouth-watering result will give your cocktail a truly original crunchy edge! 

 

Tiramisù cocktail 

Tiramisù is one of the most popular traditional Italian desserts, so it was inevitable that some brave bartender would make a drink out of it. If you want to impress your friends with a truly unusual aperitif, the Tiramisù Cocktail is the recipe for you!  

 

Ingredients:  

• 30 ml Cognac; 

• 10 ml fresh cream; 

• 1 small cup of coffee; 

• cocoa powder as required; 

• ice as required. 

 

How to make Tiramisù Cocktail 

• After cooling the cup for a few minutes in the fridge or freezer, dip it in cocoa powder. 

• Put the cognac, coffee and fresh cream in the shaker, shake vigorously and pour. 

• Top with a sprinkling of cocoa powder. 

This original idea can be a good alternative to classic tiramisù, which takes longer to make, but is just as delicious. The Tiramisù Cocktail can also be made with decaffeinated coffee for those who prefer to avoid caffeine in the evening, and can be topped with a few coffee beans for a sophisticated crunchy touch. 

 

More ideas for cocktails with chocolate liqueur 

As we’ve seen, chocolate can be used to enhance not just desserts and cakes, but also drinks and cocktails in an original way. 

For an after-dinner drink with friends, we recommend going for an established pairing like Rum and chocolate which, together, are the main ingredients of the Montezuma cocktail, a Caribbean-flavoured drink containing rum, chocolate, honey, ginger and chilli. 

Those who aren't overly keen on elaborate cocktails but do embrace unusual flavours will certainly enjoy chocolate limoncello, while another solution to win over even the most sceptical guests is to simply add some Chocoviar to a glass of good prosecco!