Homemade Chocolate Liqueur

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This homemade chocolate liqueur is so creamy, rich and intense that regular hot chocolate will no longer have a place in your life.  Offer a small glass of this chocolate alcohol drink to your guests after dinner and you will see their eyes sparkle! Even better, make some extra bottles to give away as an edible gift and you will be remembered forever.

Jump to:

• Origins of this chocolate liqueur
• No risk of botulism
• Top tips
• More homemade liqueurs recipes
• Setting up a liqueur workshop
• Dessert you can pair with this chocolate liqueur
• 📋Homemade Chocolate Liqueur

Origins of this chocolate liqueur

I tried this chocolate liqueur the first time at the Eurochocolate fair in Perugia, Umbria. As many of you may know Perugia is the native town of the famous chocolate Baci Perugina, a small bite sized chocolate with hazelnuts wrapped in a blue silver paper with a love message inside.

This Eurochocolate festival is held every year and the entire historic centre of Perugia is packed with chocolate stands. The town is invaded for a few days and you can find chocolate in any form, even gigantic chocolate sculptures. This is the first time I tasted this chocolate liqueur and I was hooked. I had to add this liqueur recipe to my homemade liqueurs series.

When I visited my mom, I spent a lot of time searching for this recipe in her vast cooking library and found it in an old magazine of Cucina Italiana published during the '60s.

Coincidentally, just a month previously I had visited the famous Chocolate city of Valrhona and stocked up with the most delicious chocolate and cocoa. I had all I needed!

Two months brewing

If you want to make this recipe, you need to get started now as it has to rest for 2 months. During the first month the alcohol has to infuse with the vanilla, then another month for the cocoa, syrup and alcohol to brew. Don't take any shortcuts, it is during this resting time that the flavours merge together into an unforgettable magical experience.

You cannot waste any time, especially if you want to have it ready for Easter. Buy the best cocoa you can find, 2 vanilla pods and a bottle of 95% alcohol.

No risk of botulism

Since a reader asked, I would like to reassure everyone who has doubts, this liqueur is not at risk of botulism. This recipe uses Alcohol 95% or vodka 50% of ethanol.

Here is a study that proves botulism cannot grow in Alcohol: ”The growth and neurotoxin production (botulism) were delayed by an ethanol concentration of 4% ethanol and completely inhibited by a concentration of 6%”.

Effect of Ethanol on the growth of Colstridium botulinum

Botulism is a concern with home canning… not fermentation or infusions of fruits and vegetables. Here is more information about botulism from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service:

Clostridium Botulinum

Infuse the vanilla pods into the alcohol

1. Cut the vanilla stick in half,
2. Scrape the seeds into a jar
3. Cut the pod into small pieces and add into the jar
4. Pour over the alcohol
5. Let the vanilla brew in the alcohol in the sealed jar for 1 month
6. After one month you can proceed to the next phase

Prepare the cocoa syrup

7. Prepare a syrup by melting the sugar in water
8. Let it boil for a few minutes
9. Add the cocoa gradually
10. Always stirring until it melts into the syrup completely
11. Let it simmer for 5 minutes
12. Remove from the heat, cover and let it cool down at room temperature

Mixing it all together

13. Once cold, filter the chocolate syrup
14. Sieve also the alcohol which was infused with the vanilla pods
15. Stir well for at least 10 minutes to make sure all is combined

16. The liqueur should have a creamy consistency
17. Using a ladle, transfer the liquor into bottles
18. Close the bottles with a cork and wait another month before drinking it

Top tips

• Use good quality cocoa
• Do not replace vanilla pod with vanilla extract
• Use a large pan when you make the syrup to make sure it doesn't spill when you add the cocoa. You will be adding a lot of cocoa
• Once you combine the cocoa syrup with the alcohol you will have to mix for a long time. You may want to use an electric mixer.
• If you want to have a creamier liqueur use less water ( 2 1/4 cups - 500 ml) to make the syrup, however, it is then best to store it in a jar instead of a bottle.
• You can also use this chocolate alcohol drink over ice cream or in sponge cakes

More homemade liqueurs recipes

Homemade liqueurs are such a satisfying project, enjoy them after dinner with your partner on a special day, offer them at the end of a dinner party or package them in fancy bottles as an edible gift.

I already have some published and more will come. Just be ready when the fruits are in season to start your collection:

• limoncello
• limoncello cream
• nocino
• curacao
• strawberry liqueur
• licorice liqueur
• Italian eggnog VOV
• violet liqueur

Check out the category: Homemade liquors

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Plus download the printable liqueur labels you find in the picture below.

Setting up a liqueur workshop

You can easily create your liqueur workshop with just a few items. They are not expensive and you can order them online from my Amazon shop: Homemade Liqueur Lab. Those are my favorite and specially selected tools to make the process smooth and easy:

1. Jars 67 ounce - 2 liters: I use large canning jars to infuse herbs or fruits in the alcohol. They are easily sealed and don't take much room in the cupboard. I usually brew different types of liqueurs at the same times so I need several jars. If you are an occasional liqueur maker, you can just use the bottle below.
2. 1 gallon - 3-liters glass bottle: I use this bottle in the second part of the brewing process, once I add the syrup. It is a transparent glass bottle so I can check how the liqueur is progressing and if it needs a good shake. It is important that this bottle has a large neck so the residuals of the fruits, zests, spices, or herbs can be easily removed without any problem once the liqueur is ready to be bottled. Personally I have 2 of those large bottles.
3. Funnel with a wide and short stem: When you are pouring the liqueur from one bottle to another during the brewing process, you need to have a funnel with a wide and short stem so it doesn't get clog with the ingredients that are brewing in the alcohol.
4. Auto-stop funnel: However, once the liqueur is ready, filtered and all the solid particles have been removed, I like to use an auto-stop funnel with a floating system that stops the liquid from flowing once the bottled has been filled.
   
   It is very difficult to gauge how much liquid can fit in a bottle and I often fill the funnel way too much. Instead of overflowing the bottle, the auto-stop funnel locks the stem automatically and the excess liquid remains in the funnel.
   
   The funnel can be easily removed, transferred into another bottle using the handle that keeps the liquid inside the funnel and no liqueur is wasted.

5. Fine Mesh Strainer: to remove all solids and particles from the liqueur once it is ready to be filtered.
6. Measuring mugs: it is very important to use the exact proportion of syrup vs alcohol. Measurements mugs are a must.
7. Ladle with spout: to easily pour the liquid into the funnels from a large bowl or pan. I always use the ladle with a spout to take the syrup from the pan where I boiled it into the funnel. If you don't have a pan with a spout, this is the easiest way to pour the syrup once it is cold.
8. Fancy vintage bottles: I love to have my own liqueur assortment into those vintage bottles. It gives my homemade liqueurs an extra wow factor.
9. Small glass bottles with lids: if you want to store the liqueurs in small bottles or if you want to give it as gifts to friends and family those small bottles are perfect. The lid seals and they can be easily carried. They even come with labels to write the name of the liqueur and the date.
10. Shot glass set and/or Small liqueur glasses: it is very important to serve the liqueur in small shot glasses so it can be slowly sipped and relished.
11. Good Grips Bottle Brush: to easily clean all the bottles after each use. Some liqueurs can be very sticky and stain easily like the walnut hull.
12. If you want to give your liqueur an extra festive look you can also use the Rose Ice Cube Stackable to make rose ices or the ice cube with light to make your liqueur shine at night.

Dessert you can pair with this chocolate liqueur

You can use this liqueur with many different desserts, but I really recommend some cookies like butter biscuit, meringues or chiacchiere to dip into it.

Any fresh fruit or fruit cake will also go very well, like a Tarte Tatin or a pear crumble.

If you are making this homemade chocolate liqueur leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.