5 heavenly chocolate and gin cocktail pairings

Divine’s gloriously creamy milk and white chocolate swirled with toffee pieces.

Paired with:

Autumn Bloom

The combination of the sweet, chewy toffee pieces in the chocolate go perfectly with the apples and spices in this cocktail. Think spiced punch and toffee apples at the fayre – delicious!

Ingredients: 

60ml gin
15ml spiced rum
30ml apple juice
15ml ginger sugar syrup
1 x slice apple to garnish

Method: 

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake.
Pour into a martini or coupe glass and garnish with a slice of apple.
Plump the cushions on the sofa, close the curtains and enjoy your cocktail with your favourite black and white film. 

Divine’s milk and dark chocolate Brazil nuts.

Paired with:

Orange GIN-ger Twist

To say these are moreish would be an understatement, however you need something to balance out the creaminess of the chocolate and compliment the tropical taste of the Brazil nuts. That something is ginger! So these two were made for each other, with the citrus adding to the festive combination of this pairing.

Ingredients:

45ml gin
45ml cranberry juice
45ml freshly squeezed orange juice
45ml ginger beer
10ml sugar syrup

Method:

Add the gin, cranberry juice, orange juice and sugar syrup to a cocktail shaker to a cocktail shaker, along with a handful of ice.
Pour over ice in a tumbler style glass and top up with the ginger beer.
Gently stir.
Slip on woolly socks and enjoy.

Divine 70% dark chocolate and chili & toffee pieces.

Paired with:

A Chill in the Air

This pairing is perfect for all you spice lovers out there! The bitter chocolate and fiery chilli needed something refreshing and zesty to cut through such deep flavours so the citrus notes in this cocktail were perfect! Plus, the savoury garnish of coriander really complimented the chilli – it just works!

Ingredients:

45ml gin
30ml lemon juice
30ml orange juice
15ml ginger sugar syrup
1 x slice of ginger and coriander to garnish

Method:

Add all the ingredients and ice to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.
Strain into a tumbler style glass and garnish with a slice of fresh ginger and coriander.
Enjoy with a large, steam bowl of chilli.

Divine 70% dark chocolate black cherries.

Paired with:

Fallen Negroni

The taste of cherries and almonds will always be a favourite thanks to the humble cherry bakewell, so this pairing was meant to be! The familiar taste is made even more indulgent thanks to the rich dark chocolate and the spicy cloves in the cocktail.

Ingredients:

50ml gin
50ml Martini Rosso
40ml Campari
Half an orange
2 x whole cloves

Method:

Using a vegetable peeler, carefully remove 8 pieces of zest from the orange and set aside. Squeeze the juice of the orange into a jug and add the cloves.
Pour the gin, Martini and Campari into the jug and add plenty of ice. Stir well, then strain into a chilled, ice-filled tumbler or martini glass as quickly as possible. Serve immediately, with a piece of orange zest curled into a twist the glass.
Curl up in front of the fire.

Divine’s 70% dark chocolate caramelised almonds

Paired with:

Apricot Cobbler

Nuts and fruit are often found together in baking, especially around this time of year so the almonds and apricot in this combination work beautifully together – just like eating a huge spoonful of apricot cobbler – with a load of glorious booze in it!

Ingredients:

40ml white rum
40ml sloe gin
40ml apricot brandy
30ml lime juice
20ml sugar syrup
1 x Lemon slice to garnish

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake vigoursly.
Strain cocktail into a champagne glass and garnish with lemon peel, after rubbing around the rim of the glass. 
Wrap up in a blanket and sit in the garden to watch the autumn sun go down.