Cocoa-crazy: chocolate-infused liqueurs deserve their own moment

Few combinations tickle the flavour palate like booze and chocolate, it’s no wonder they mix well

Among my minor childhood traumas was the time my dad returned from a business trip to Belgium with a smart box of assorted chocolates (cue tiny violins). Expecting caramel, I bit into a truffle and was met by an explosion of very boozy liqueur. The box seemed to be an exciting change from the usual duty-free Toblerone, but after this incident, truffle assortments have always struck me as deeply unsafe. (I have tried liqueur-filled chocolates since, but still remain flummoxed by them.)

So you can imagine my feelings about chocolate-infused liqueurs. Personally, I think some things don’t need to mix, but in this era of edible collabs (see the recent Flying Goose sriracha x Heck sausages), brands can’t resist a dabble. Enter Bailey’s x Terry’s Chocolate Orange Irish Cream Liqueur, which will send fans of both products aflutter. Most creamy chocolate liqueurs use a neutral grain spirit as their base, which is mixed with dairy, sugar and chocolate flavouring – the base for Bailey’s, for example, is Irish whiskey. Waitrose is less specific about the base of its No1 Blonde Chocolate Cream Liqueur, which is inspired by the supermarket’s chocolate bar of the same name and made in partnership with a distiller in Burgundy. Apparently, it has “notes of caramelised white chocolate”, though I found it cloying. Such things are better served ice-cold, however – Waitrose recommends serving it on the rocks or over ice-cream; I might use it to spike a bread-and-butter pudding or chocolate tart.