Chocolate Isn’t Just for Dessert Drinks — Here’s How to Add It to Any Cocktail

When date night rolls around, you could impress someone with roses or a box of truffles. Or, think outside the heart-shaped box. Add chocolate to your cocktails.

Wipe away notions of dessert drinks or ’90s choco-tinis. Chocolate, whether in bitters, liqueur, or shaved form, can elevate Negronis, Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, and even Piña Coladas.

“Chocolate has such a vast versatility when it comes to beverage applications,” says Carla Irene, spirits director at Armour House and Pogo Cocktail Club in Birmingham, Alabama. “It adds an interesting richness to cocktails and gives you the ability to enhance sweetness or bitterness in a drink without overpowering other flavors.”

"“Chocolate can be varying levels of bitter, sweet, and rich. [It’s] pleasant without being overpowering or cloying.”"

Nick Flower, co-founder and beverage director at Too Soon

Kevin Beary, beverage director of Gus’ Sip & Dip, Three Dots and a Dash, and The Bamboo Room, all in Chicago, infuses cocoa nibs into spirits. He’ll also shave frozen chocolate over cocktails as an opulent garnish. “Chocolate is a great way to add depth and extra richness to a flavor profile,” he says.

Why add chocolate to your cocktail?

“Adding chocolate to a cocktail can surprise and delight,” says Christa Cotton, CEO of El Guapo Bitters. “It’s not an everyday flavor profile in drinks. It’s nostalgic and adds a bit of indulgence to a classic cocktail.”

Chocolate is also surprisingly versatile. “Chocolate can be varying levels of bitter, sweet, and rich. [It’s] pleasant without being overpowering or cloying,” says Nick Flower, co-founder and beverage director at Too Soon, a cocktail bar in the heart of Portland, Oregon. “All of that makes it a really fun ingredient.”

Flower uses chocolate in everything, from sours and fizzes to flips and Old Fashioneds. One of his favorites? The Left Hand, a chocolatey Boulevardier invented by Attaboy’s Sam Ross.

Related: 21 Bourbon Cocktails You Can Make Tonight

He even pairs pandan and chocolate in rum highballs. “It’s the perfect tropical drink that isn’t too sweet,” he says. “Crème de cacao adds a complexity that ties the fruity flavors all together.”

Fans of dessert-adjacent drinks can try the Brandy Alexander, a Cognac-based cocktail made with heavy cream and dark crème de cacao, or the Grasshopper, a fluffy, electric-green drink made with white crème de cacao and crème de menthe. “The cocktail finds balance through an interplay of chocolate, vanilla, and rich cream,” says Beary. (It also can be made frozen.)

The takeaway? There’s a chocolate cocktail for everyone.

Ways to add chocolate to your cocktail

Chocolate liqueur

“There are a lot of different ways to get chocolate into a cocktail,” says Oliver Brooks, corporate mixologist for Little's Oyster Bar and Houston’s Pappas Restaurants Group. “The most approachable and straightforward way is to use a high-quality chocolate liqueur.”

There are a few common chocolate liqueurs. These include crème de cacao, made by steeping cacao nibs in a spirit before it’s topped with vanilla and other flavorings. Chocolate cream liqueur can also be made through the steeping of cacao nibs, or can include finished chocolate blended into a base spirit. Chocolate cream liqueurs like Godiva or Mozart tend to be more dessert-like and often added to drinks like a Chocolate Martini.

Crème de cacao, similar in texture to a simple syrup, is a little more versatile. Add common bottlings like Tempus Fugit or Giffard to classically sweet drinks like a Grasshopper or a Golden Cadillac (a heavy cream, crème de cacao, and Galliano dessert cocktail). You can use a judicious splash in place of sweetener in a chocolate Negroni, like New York City’s Dante does, or in an Old Fashioned, as Brooks recommends.

You may be tempted to swap crème de cacao for a chocolate syrup in something like a milkshake. Proceed with caution — it can clump when cold. Brooks suggests to instead use a flavorful syrup intended for ice cream, as it will be less likely to harden.

Chocolate bitters

Alternatively, you can add a few drops of chocolate bitters, made by infusing high-proof spirits with cacao nibs.

“Chocolate bitters bring out a richness in the cocktail,” says Irene. Three or four drops will give a chocolatey feeling without overwhelming your palate. “We like to use Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters. They carry a lot of flavor and are more dry than sweet,” says Flower.

Add a few dashes of chocolate bitters to a Manhattan, or add mole or Aztec bitters (more heavily spiced than conventional chocolate bitters) to a Mezcal Old Fashioned. Cotton will add chocolate bitters to Espresso Martinis, milk punches, and cold and hot coffee drinks.

Related: How to Use Bitters to Take Your Cocktail Game to the Next Level

Cocoa nibs

One of the most tried-and-true ways to add chocolate to your cocktails is to infuse spirits with cocoa nibs (dried cacao beans), which will impart a creamy texture to your favorite spirits.

Compared to a standard chocolate, cocoa nibs have a darker, more bitter flavor. They add nuanced notes of chocolate without masking the flavor of the spirit. “You add flavor without actually altering the body of the cocktail,” says Irene.

Start with your preferred spirit in a jar and add cacao nibs. Let it sit for a few days, shaking occasionally, then strain and serve.

“Cacao nibs can infuse into almost any spirit, including rum, Cognac, bourbon, scotch, mezcal, Campari…especially Campari,” says Flower. Cocoa-infused Campari will make a killer chocolate Negroni. “Anything bitter infused with chocolate is going to have a level of complexity that makes it so good.”

Beary likes to make cocoa nib-infused rum. He’ll add it to Piña Coladas or other classic rum drinks.

Shaved chocolate

To integrate chocolate into your drink with minimal effort, shave a bar of chocolate over your drink. “I love shaving dark chocolate over cocktails for an extra touch of richness,” says Beary. “It adds a smooth layer of flavor that pairs perfectly with both rum and whiskey-based drinks.” Freeze the bar beforehand so it doesn’t crumble while grating.

Hot chocolate

This cold-weather staple is a delicious canvas for all kinds of liqueurs and spirits, from classic Baileys to peanut butter whiskey. At Portland’s Too Soon, Flower spikes his hot chocolate with Chartreuse. “The Chartreuse adds an herbal, almost cooling note to the palate,” he says. “We add a cherry dusting on top that brings to mind rich, heart-shaped, cherry-filled chocolates. Alternatively, no one can go wrong with a Mexican hot chocolate with tequila or mezcal.”

Tips for adding chocolate to cocktails

Irene urges that less is more. Chocolate is a bold, distinct flavor. Remember, you can always add more flavor, but it’s tough to take too much away.

“I recommend using some restraint,” says Brooks. “Chocolate goes well with so many flavors and really shines best when used in moderation. Don’t be too heavy-handed.”

Beary recommends to consider the acidity in your drinks. “Citrus juices, like lemon and lime, don’t always pair well with chocolate flavors due to their sharpness,” he says. “It’s best to incorporate them with something smoother, like a rich cream or a mellow liqueur, to keep the flavors balanced.”

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