Mixology Monday CXV: Chocolate

Well, the holidays may be over, but the good news is it’s Mixology Monday time again! If you’re not familiar with Mixology Monday, it’s basically a monthly online cocktail party. Each month a host blogger chooses a theme, and anyone who would like to participate can mix up a cocktail based on that theme and share it.

I’m very excited to start off the new year by hosting my first Mixology Monday challenge. And I’m sorry to sabotage your well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions to cut back on the booze and eat fewer sweets, but this month’s theme is… chocolate.

When I think of chocolate and cocktails together, my mind still automatically conjures the image of a chocolate martini with a syrupy drizzle and a dollop of whipped cream, plucked right from the photo-laden menu of a classy establishment like Chili’s or The Cheesecake Factory. (As a kid I considered this the ultimate drink, the paragon of all cocktails, and it baffled me that adults did not drink them more. Why would you have something as utterly disgusting as a beer or a glass of Scotch when you could be drinking chocolate?)

My tastes have since evolved, and so has the role of chocolate in cocktails. Instead of creamy sugar bombs, bars are serving up crème de cacao classics like the 20th Century and Brandy Alexander, Boulevardiers made with cacao-nib infused Campari, and Oaxaca Old Fashioneds with mole bitters. Chocolate has found its way into serious cocktails, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

So this month, give in to your sweet tooth (or not) and see what you can do with a little chocolate! Chocolate liqueur, crème de cacao, chocolate bitters, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, cocoa tea… if it comes from the cacao plant, it’s fair game.

Here’s how to participate:

• Find or create a cocktail recipe that incorporates chocolate in some way.
• Make the drink and post the recipe, a photo, and your thoughts on your blog, Tumblr, or website or on the eGullet Spirits and Cocktails forum.
• Be sure to include the Mixology Monday logo in your post, and links back to Mixology Monday and Garnish. Once the round-up is posted, a link to the summary post would be appreciated.
• Provide a link to your submission in the comment section here, tweet to @garnishblog, or send an email to garnishgirl@garnishblog.com.

Submissions are due by Monday, January 23rd. That gives you two weeks to get mixing. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!