Dec 11

Dec 11 Chocolate Orange Martini

A Perfect Winter Cocktail

Ingredients

2 oz good Vodka (i.e. Titos)

1/2 oz Creme de Cacao

1/2 oz Clementine or Orange Simple Syrup (see tips)

1 Orange Slice

Steps

Prepare chilled glasses by cutting the orange slice in half and add a wedge to the rim of each.
To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the vodka, simple syrup, and cream de cacao. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
Pour into the glass and enjoy!

Cheers!

You can use dark or clear cream de cacao. The Hubs thinks it is odd to drink chocolate flavored liqueur that is clear so we opt for dark!
Simple syrup is the easiest thing to make and it keeps for a good long while in the refrigerator. Dissolve 1 cup sugar (or honey) in 1 cup water in a sauce pan over medium heat. After all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture just starts to bubble, turn off the heat. Add orange or clementine peels (I added the peels from 4 clementines leftover from our afternoon snack) and allow to steep for at least 30 minutes. I left mine for about 90 minutes and it didn’t get bitter at all. (I forgot about it and was worried I ruined it, but we tasted it and it was still delicious!) If you want to learn more about simple syrup, check out this post: Mint Mojitos and Honey Simple Syrup.
Ideas for decorating the glass:
- Chocolate Drizzle: decoratively drizzle chocolate sauce in the glass before adding the drink.
- Orange Salt/Sugar Rim: add orange zest to sugar, or sugar and/or salt mixture, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Then, using the orange slice, juice the rim and dip in the salt/sugar mixture.
- Orange Zest: you can always add a strip of orange or clementine zest to the glass instead of a wedge.
Find a friend or two and enjoy together :)