Continuing with its mission to create luxury, low-sugar chocolate bonbons using locally sourced ingredients, Oxfordshire-based Aurosó Chocolate has unveiled its latest creation.
The Albino Flamingo Gin dark chocolate bonbon follows the same recipe as its successful line of honey ganache dark chocolate bonbons, together with a dash of award-winning London dry gin from Wallingford-based The Keep Spirits Company.
Through a bespoke blend of botanicals, the 45% ABV gin boasts tasting notes of pink grapefruit, pink apples and pink peppercorns. Despite its name and pink-themed tasting notes, the gin is actually a clear liquid.
Aurosó Chocolate pairs this with its unique ganache recipe of stone-milled cashew nuts, coconut butter and Spring Honey from Honeys of Henley’s. It's then enrobed in a fruity Madagascan 90% dark chocolate and finishes with naturally-coloured cocoa butter.
Aurosó Chocolate Albino Flamingo Gin Bonbon ingredients:
Pink gin and honey ganache filling (53%) (Madagascar cocoa beans, coconut butter, cashew butter, extra virgin olive oil, Albino Pink Gin (4.4%), honey (3.6%), cocoa butter with natural colourings), dark chocolate coating (47%) (Madagascar cocoa beans, cane sugar, Madagascar cocoa beans, cocoa butter). Cocoa solids: 100% minimum (ganache); 90% minimum (coating).
These bonbon are described as 'reduced sugar', dairy-free, soy lecithin-free, and artificial colouring-free. These luxury vegan chocolate bonbons contain just 8.6% sugars, with each 66-calorie bonbon containing just one mere gram of sugar.
Ideal for gifting, the bonbons are presented inside a luxurious white board outer box embellished with a gold-foiled Aurosó Chocolate logo and a Albino Flamingo Gin ribbon.
Catrin kindly sent me over a box to compare against the rest of the range. Lifting the lid, there's a faint alcoholic aroma that sits in the background, but it's the fruity RaiseTrade dark chocolate that dominates.
The thick and crunchy dark chocolate shell gives way to a soft, smooth, nutty, buttery paste inside. The pink peppercorn quality of the Flamingo Gin clearly sits at the forefront, adding an almost-spicy twist to the bonbon. The gin pairs very nicely with the dark chocolate, with the natural sweetness of the honey carefully balancing the mildly-bitter aspect of the rich dark chocolate.
The aftertaste is dominated mostly by the Madagascan chocolate, enhanced by hints of the gin. The pleasant flavours linger for a brief while afterwards.
Overall, The Keep Spirits Company's gin is used here to great effect, adding flavour and character without the alcoholic burn you'd normally expect from a boozy bonbon. It's a very classy affair and a highly sophisticated bonbon. These aren't chocolates you'll wolf down. No, these satisfying bites demand to be methodically devoured across six separate occasions.
The Albino Flamingo Gin Bonbon launch coincides with the build-up to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. You can buy them on the Aurosó Chocolate website here (£10 for 6; £19.50 for 12).
Which tipple would you next like to see Aurosó Chocolate use next in their honey ganache bonbons? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
