Cocktails with Chocolate cordial
Chocolate cordial is a bar preparation rather than a bottle: cacao nibs or cocoa steeped, sweetened and acidified. It brings sourness along with the chocolate and the sugar.
How it's used
It suits dessert, coffee and milky drinks, with aged rum or whiskey.
Substitutes for Chocolate cordial
Homemade cordial
Simmer 240 ml each of cacao nibs and sugar with 480 ml of water for about 5 minutes. Strain, cool, and sharpen with a little lemon juice to use one for one.
Pours thick and extremely sweet. Use a third of the measure, top up the rest with water and taste.
Chocolate liqueur
Brings the flavor and sugar, but adds unwanted alcohol. Start with half the measure, cut it with water and fix the balance from there.
Chocolate confection
Will not work. Despite sharing the name cordial, it is a candy with a liquid center, not something you pour.
Storage
Homemade keeps a couple of weeks chilled; the acid buys it some of that time. Cocoa settles out as it stands, so shake it before measuring.
