17 Best Chocolate & Cacao Alcoholic Tipples

1 Alchemia Czekoladowa Chocolate Vodka

£23.75 | 40% ABV | The Whisky Exchange

This stylish bottle of Polish rye vodka is infused with cocoa to add a new flavour dimension. As this amber tipple is an infusion, it retains a crisp flavour with a smooth yet sweet chocolate finish.

Use as a base in a cocktail - perhaps a chocolate Martini - or enjoy neat a small glass after dinner.

2 Bernard Loiseau Creme De Griottes Chocolat

£33.35 | 20% ABV | Wine Buyers

As I said here, cherry and chocolate are best friends. No question. This sweet liqueur, produced in France and developed for use in the Michelin-starred restaurants run by the Bernard Loiseau group, blends the rich flavours of Morello cherry and roasted cocoa.

Serve neat as a lively post-dinner treat, as part of a fruity cocktail, or drizzle over vanilla ice cream for a quick and easy delicious dessert.

3 BouveryCV Chocolate Vodka Liqueur

£33.35 | 16% ABV | Master of Malt

BouveryCV is the brainchild of London's Danny Bouvery, after his experiments blending chocolate and vodka. The recipe was perfected in New York, and the result is a gluten-free corn vodka that is distilled four times and blended with cocoa, dairy, and natural flavours. It's made in Connecticut, USA, using a blend of South American and West African cocoa.

Drink neat, slightly chilled, or use it in cocktails or desserts. There's a selection of recipes available from the manufacturer here.

4 Chocao Distilled Cocoa Gin

£28.50 | 50cl | 26% ABV | Chocao

It's gin o'clock, and rather than opting for the same-old G&T, why not try this beautiful bottle of cacao gin liqueur? It's a distilled cacao gin that is infused with single-origin Peruvian Gran Yapatera cacao nibs and husks to add an extra depth of flavour. Its makers say its ethically sourced and vegan friendly too.

It packs a punch at 26% ABV but is smooth and is ideal as an after dinner drink, served neat over ice.

Most of the production makes its way to supply restaurants up and down the country (you may have already sampled this tipple), but Chocao keeps just 30 bottles from each batch aside to sell via their website.

5 Fortnum & Mason Triple Chocolate Stout

£3.50 | 4.5% ABV | Fortnum & Mason

Produced by Kent's Westerham Brewery, this Fortnum & Mason Triple Chocolate Stout is a grown-up stout for both beer and chocolate lovers. It is made using chocolate malt, roasted cacao nibs, plus chocolate essence.

The result is a naturally sweet beer balanced with a bitter chocolate edge. This vegan-friendly and gluten-free stout is best served chilled.

6 Hotel Chocolat Cocoa Beer

£4 | 4.7% ABV | Hotel Chocolat

Instead of discarding the shells from their cocoa beans, Hotel Chocolat has a knack for repurposing them, particularly as infusions for products such as their cocoa tea (since discontinued) and for their ice cream "of the gods". They're also used in this dark porter-style ale.

This well-hopped brown malt beer contains influences of rich and bitter chocolate undertones from the shells. The chocolate flavour isn't artificial and so, doesn't overpower the nuances of the beer, simply enhancing what is already there.

7 Hotel Chocolat Little Tipples Liqueur Gift Set (Vodka Liqueur / Gin / Cream Liqueur)

£16 | 15-40% ABV | Hotel Chocolat

This is a cute little grown-up gift set, ideal as a small gift for a friend or family member who loves the flavour of chocolate who also loves trying something a little different.

The gift box contains two 50ml bottles of Salted Caramel Cocoa Vodka Liqueur, one 50ml bottle of Cocoa Gin, and one 50ml bottle of Chocolat Cream Liqueur. It's a great way to test out Hotel Chocolat's range of chocolatey tipples, before buying a larger bottle. My only criticism is that it doesn't yet contain the Mint Chocolat Cream Liqueur bottle (below).

The Salted Caramel Cocoa Vodka Liqueur (39.9% ABV) blends cocoa shell-infused vodka with sea salted caramel, and is best served over lots of ice. The Cocoa Gin (40% ABV) is a smooth London gin, distilled with juniper, coriander, orange peel, grapefruit peel, and, of course, cocoa, which adds a malty, toasted edge. The Chocolate Cream Liqueur (15% ABV) sees 70% dark chocolate melted into vodka and cream, and is best served over ice.

8 Hotel Chocolat Mint Chocolate Cream Liqueur

£25 | 15% ABV | Hotel Chocolat

Chef David Demaison spent two years developing the perfect Chocolat Cream Liqueur (see above). He then turned his hand to his next project - creating an after-dinner mint and drinkable digestif, all-in-one. The Mint Chocolat Cream Liqueur was born.

Like the original, it sees warming vodka, real cream, and 70% dark chocolate blended together, but this one is spiked with cooling peppermint. The result is an indulgent treat that feels very sophisticated and decadent.

9 La Maison Fontaine Chocolate Absinthe Liqueur

£29.99 | 25% ABV | Ministry of Drinks

I had to include La Maison Fontaine Chocolat in this list as it's particularly unusual here, featuring absinthe as its alcohol of choice. The recipe is based on a 1920s recipe for Crème de Cacao and blends French Grande Absinthe with a chocolate infusion.

It's best suited as an after dinner tipple (neat or over ice), but is versatile enough to be used in a range of cocktails.

10 Mozart Chocolate Cream Liqueur

£14.99 | 17% ABV | Amazon

One of the best selling chocolate cream liqueurs heralds from Salzburg in Austria. Mozart Chocolate Cream is full-bodied, luxurious, and pretty versatile. It blends West African cocoa, Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla, Belgian Chocolate, cream, and cocoa butter for a decadent liqueur.

This is best savoured sightly chilled and neat, or it can be used in cocktails and desserts. There are three main varieties available - gold° (classic), white° (hint of caramel), and dark° (87% cocoa). There's also some flavoured variants - strawberry° and pumpkin spice° - in case that's more your style.

11 Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Liqueur

£32.79 | 30% ABV | Amazon

For those that prefer something with a little heat, this delicacy is for you. Combining Patrón Silver Tequila, Criollo chocolate, and Chile de árbol chilli peppers, it's as flavoursome as it is fiery. It's made in small batches in Mexico using tequila distilled from Weber Blue Agave (Agave tequilana).

The chocolate flavour leads with a subtle chilli kick soon after. It is best served chilled over ice, or used to add a spicy character to your cocktails at home.

12 Rubis Chocolate Wine

£13.38 | 15% ABV | Amazon

How do you make a Spanish Tempranillo red wine that little extra special? 'Blend it was dark chocolate' is the suggestion from Rubis. Their rich, complex, and indulgent red wine is made using Tempranillo grapes from the Castile-La Mancha region of Spain, a variety known for its use in the production of Rioja wine.

The fortified wine is then blended with "essence of cacao" to create a unique product - chocolate wine. Its tasting notes describe a blend of rich cherry and red fruit notes alongside a dark chocolate flavour, making the chocolate wine an ideal, indulgent after-dinner treat.

13 Serravinci Cioccowhisky Liqueur

£17.20 | 17% ABV | Serravinci

Presented in a long neck bottle, Cioccowhisky by Serravinci is unashamedly different, flamboyant even. This Italian chocolate liqueur is thick and creamy and blends chocolate flavour with a whiskey base.

Enjoy on its own, or served neat over ice. With that in mind, it also works splashed over ice cream.

14 Teichenné Chocolate Schnapps

£14.95 | 17% ABV | Amazon

Part of the Ultra Premium range of liqueurs at Teichenné, this Chocolate Schnapps is a versatile tipple. Clear in colour, it is ideal for use in cocktails as it doesn't taint the overall colour. It can even be used in baking recipes, in dessert recipes, or even just drizzled over vanilla ice cream.

It exhibits a rich, dark flavour of cocoa and is rounded and balanced.

15 Thorntons Chocolate Liqueur

£14 | 17% ABV | Amazon

The indulgent chocolate cream liqueur by Thorntons combines the flavour of West African cocoa and cream with vodka, leading to a rich, deep, dark chocolate taste. Some customers liken it to Bailey's Chocolat Luxe° while others are adamant it's not quite chocolatey enough.

This one is best served over ice or splashed into coffee or hot chocolate.

Curiously, I can't find it available to buy as a stand-alone item direct from the Thorntons website, although it is available at Amazon and others. It is available in a small chocolate gift hamper sold by Thorntons though.

16 Waterton's Reserve West Riding Classic Dry Gin

£29 | 40% ABV | Waterton's Reserve

Distilled by Darton-based Waterton's Reserve, this is a classic 19th Century dry gin that's been given a contemporary twist. Crafted in the heart of Yorkshire's Old West Riding, this gin is produced using a traditional alembic copper pot. It's blended using common gin-making botanicals including juniper berries and fresh citrus peel, but the twist is that mix also includes roasted cocoa nibs. These infuse the dry gin, adding a complex chocolatey undertone to the small-batch dry gin.

17 Xolato Chocolate Gin (X-Gin)

£39.50 | 46% ABV | Amazon

A little goes a long way with this bottle. Xolato Chocolate Gin (or X-Gin as its chic designer bottle states) boasts a powerful 46% ABV. This dry gin is distilled in Belgium with 15 herbs and spices, and is infused with Colombian cocoa beans, Pietmont hazelnuts, Sicilian Avola Almonds, plus Madagascan chilli peppers and vanilla pods.

Enjoy neat over ice. Xolato recommends blending it with a premium mixer, cacao nibs, and raspberries. On that note, you'll notice the small vial of cacao nibs attached to the bottle to help you get started.