Chocolate Liquor

I love to make homemade liquors. Why, you ask. Well, two main reasons. Let me explain….

I’m not a fan of syrup for our liquor. When I make my own, I can control flavors and sugar/alcohol content. It makes for a better cocktail and it’s better for baking.

There is also another reason. No added preservatives, artificial flavors nor chemicals. The down side to that is some liquors will have a limited shelf life.

So that leads me to share with you my chocolate liquor recipe. No, it’s not a creamy Godiva knockoff. Cream based liquors are a bit trickier and have a much more limited shelf life. The creamy brands are able to produce theirs with lots of chemicals. This recipe is a sweet, chocolate vodka based liquor. It goes great in chocolate martinis, on the rocks and yes, add some cream and you have an awesome dessert cocktail. Or add it to coffee or hot chocolate to adultify (yes, I know I’m making up words now) your hot drink of choice.

And a word to the wise. This recipe takes a least 2 weeks prep time. Plan accordingly!

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Chocolate Liquor

Author: Cocinando en Ecuador Ingredient type: Altitude tested, Special ingredients Country / Region: USA Category: Drinks Keys: Corn free Dairy free Egg free Vegetarian

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep time 240 hour Cook time 5 min Rest time 15 min Total time 240 hrs 20 mins

Description

Serving size is about 600-700 mL.

Ingredients

Servings

• ²⁄₃ cups cacao nibs
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup vodka (no it doesn’t have to be top shelf, make it an economical choice, but not too cheap that it has a bad after taste. If desiring gluten-free, choose a potato vodka)
• 1 cup water
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup sugar (white or brown or a mix)
• 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp of vanilla added before bottling)
• sterilized bottles that seal well

Instructions

1. Start by marinating (infusing) the cacao nibs in the vodka in a sealable bottle.

   
   We personally prefer a stronger liquor and use 2 cups of vodka. Experiment to find your preference. Let it marinate, in a dark, cool place, for 10 days – 2 weeks, shaking every couple of days.
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2. Before:

   
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3. After:

   
   Sorry about the bottle change in the pictures. There’s a reason I say a sealable bottle.
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4. After letting it marinate or infuse to absorb those wonderful flavors, get ready to try some liquor soon. First, sterilize your bottles in boiling water.

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5. Then bring to a boil the water and sugar. Let it boil until all the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Take off the heat and add the vanilla bean that has been sliced lengthwise and then cut into sections, as you can see in the following picture.

   
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6. Let the mixture cool at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, strain the cacao nibs and vodka through a moistened coffee filter (moistening stops the filter from absorbing extra vodka, the vodka we want to be able to bottle). It will take a few minutes.

   
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7. When the sugar mixture has cooled sufficiently, mix it with the infused vodka and bottle. Make sure to put a piece or two of the vanilla beans in each bottle.

   
   One batch makes about 600-700 mL, depending on how much vodka or how strong you made your batch.
   Mark as completed

Notes

• The sugar level can be increased or decreased according to personal taste. We prefer ours not too sweet, but still enough to make it dessert worthy. Test it out, and adjust accordingly.
• The vanilla bean is optional. I know it’s expensive and sometimes hard to get (I actually bring them with me from the US on our trips back), but it imparts a wonderful balance of flavors and helps to bring out the chocolate flavor.
• If desiring a chocolate vodka, don’t add the sugar syrup. Just strain and enjoy.

Keywords: liquor, chocolate