Drinking Chocolates

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Permalink Reply by Alan McClure on August 19, 2008 at 7:13am

I don't think that I'd say the art has been lost. It simply isn't very popular in "developed" countries to make chocolate drinks, when compared with the popularity of solid chocolate. Take a trip to Mexico, Belize, or elsewhere in Central America, and it is a very different story. Anyway, your question is pretty timely, as I just published this blog post a few days ago:

That should give you some ideas.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Durtschi on August 19, 2008 at 9:27am

You have mention there of a brewed chocolate drink. Who makes this? I'd like to try that as well as several of the other things. Thanks for your insight.

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on August 24, 2008 at 11:59am

Eric:

I think you may be looking for Cabaret Brewed Chocolate.

One interesting side not here is that one of the co-founders of Cabaret (before they made brewed chocolate they were making confections) is now one of the co-founders of Tcho - Timothy Childs.

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Permalink Reply by Diana Smith on August 19, 2008 at 3:26pm

I watched the video also, but since I didn't have cocoa shells, I used nibs to brew some chocolate tea. I steeped it for 6 minutes, and added just a smidgen of sugar but no milk. (Being a milk chocolate lover, that was a bold move for me!) It had a pure chocolate flavor with little bitterness. I liked it and want to play with different spices, such as cinnamon, or chili powder. Time to explore.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Durtschi on August 19, 2008 at 3:44pm

I have been working on a brewed product for the past year and I am just now getting it worked out. What I do is very different from what you mentioned Alan. Hopefully I'll get it all worked out. I just had something called Cocoa Samoa. They cook beans in water for a long time then add stuff like cinnamon and vanilla. It was really good.

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on August 24, 2008 at 12:03pm

If you are really interested in a chocolate drink that is out of the ordinary, try macerating (soaking, infusing) roasted nibs in a really good silver rum. About 1/2 cup in a 750ml bottle, soak for at least three days (to taste), shaking daily. Then strain through cheesecloth. Do not skimp on the rum - it won't turn out right.

A variation on this is to use vodka instead of rum and use the result as the base to make chocolate martinis.

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Permalink Reply by Teresa Cordero Cordell on September 5, 2008 at 7:31pm

Here are a couple of drink recipes that we enjoy. I hope you like them too.
First recipe
Chocolate Margarita
Chocolate Chipotle Powder, recipe follows
1½ ounces dark chocolate liqueur
1½ ounces chocolate vodka
1½ ounces tequila
1½ coffee flavor liqueur

Chocolate Chipotle Powder*
2 tablespoons Mexican Chocolate ground into powder
1 tablespoon ground chipotle powder (or red chile powder if you prefer)

Mix completely and set aside.

Spread the Chocolate Chipotle Powder out on a large plate. Rim 2 (8-ounce) martini glasses by rolling the edge of each glass on a clean wet sponge, then rolling the edge over the powder. Tap the glass gently to knock off the extra powder. Pour the rest of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty. Strain immediately into the glasses and serve.

Second recipe:
Chocolate Martini
¾ cup half-and-half or light cream
8 ounces dark chocolate liqueur (1 cup)
2 ounces vodka (1/4 cup)
Ice cubes
2 tablespoons ground Mexican Chocolate
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix ground Mexican Chocolate and cinnamon. Spread on a plate. Moisten rim of martini glasses with a wet sponge and dip into the chocolate-cinnamon mixture.

In a pitcher, stir together the half-and-half or light cream, chocolate liqueur, and vodka.
Place ice cubes in a martini shaker. Add liqueur mixture; shake. Strain mixture into four to six chilled martini glasses.

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Permalink Reply by anny on September 10, 2008 at 2:57am

vbv

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