Creme de Cacao Cocktails

[Chris Amirault]

I finally got my first bottle of creme de cacao recently, a vintage Marie Brizard fifth I found at an estate sale that was 97% full. The reason it was my first bottle ever is that, like the previous owner of this one, I suspected I'd take a sip and then decide it belonged in the back of the cabinet.

Now that I've got it, I'm up for the challenge of finding some interesting drinks with it. This bottle is dark, so the aesthetics aren't going to lend themselves to, say, a 20th Century. But don't let that stop you: post your favorite CdC cocktails here whatever their hue. Here's my first.

Upon tasting the liqueur, something about the rich, inky stuff called out, perhaps perversely, "Branca Menta." After returning a few scotches to the shelf -- bad idea -- I found the richest bourbon I had on hand, tinkered with the sweetness and brought out the orange to boot with some Cointreau, and, well...

La Agrodolce Vita

2 oz Henry McKenna bourbon

1/2 oz Branca Menta

1/2 oz MB creme de cacao

1/4 oz Cointreau

Stir with cracked ice; strain into a coupe; orange twist.

[lesliec]

Hi Chris. Welcome to the world of chocolately alcohol! (We were introduced to chocolate vodka recently, but that's another story.)

A few years back, when my son decided he wanted to do a bartender's course and prevailed upon Mummy and Daddy to get a few supplies in so he could practice (damn the child; he started a very expensive habit in us!), we invented a pair of cocktails we decided to call Cheech and Chong. There was some logic to this; the Cheech consisted of peach schnapps and creme de cacao (CHocolate/pEACH, geddit?) and ... something else (vodka, I think; it was OK, but not our best), but the Chong (CHocolate/OraNGe) is worth sharing. We used white creme de cacao, but I see no reason your brown stuff wouldn't taste as nice.

Half fill a shot glass with C de C. Layer on top a similar quantity of Grand Marnier. Take as much as you can manage into your mouth in one go and hold it there as long as you can stand it, then swallow. I dare you not to smile!

[evo-lution]

The Fox River Cocktail is a particular favourite of mine that I've been drinking a number of whilst developing/reformulating Peach Bitters (based on bitters from late 1800s, early 1900s). Fee Peach doesn't work in this for me, and the lemon zest isn't really needed I feel.

The Mulata Daisy by Ago Perrone is also a truly sensational drink. I'd recommend this to anyone...

Edited March 19, 2012 by evo-lution (log)

[Alex]

There's the classic Brandy Alexander (note my screen name): equal parts Cognac or brandy, dark c de c, and half-and-half or cream, shaken with ice, garnished with a bit of grated nutmeg. My dad used to make a variation for my mom and her friends when they visited. He used ice cream--coffee, I believe--as the dairy, and give it a quick whirl in the blender instead. It went down *real* easy, providing my dad and me some amusement as we watched them get tipsy.

[Pierogi]

I've found that creme de cacao mixed with Coke over ice makes a spectacularly grown-up version of a chocolate Coke. Proportions to your taste....

[Mark Muller]

I have only played with clear creme de cacao, but when I did I came up with:

Chocolate Angel

1 part gin

1 part creme de cacao

1 part dry vermouth

1 part lemon juice

1 dash maraschino liqueur

Shake all of the above with ice, strain, and serve up in a cocktail glass.

The result is not very chocolatey, but the cacao does give a nice bitterness in a way that most other sweet liqueurs do not.