Chocolate orange, but make it a cocktail
I found you a new holiday drink.
Season’s greetings from my cluttered desk, where I’m editing a pile of podcast episodes (you’re subscribed over here, right?), whipping up highlight reels, wrapping presents, plotting holiday menus, and eagerly anticipating a little quiet. I hope you’re all arriving at the end of the year with some fun celebrations and a moment of rest.
Some folks reach for hot drinks when the going gets cold (I highly recommend mixing hot apple cider and amaro) and others opt for creamy ones. There’s eggnog and coquito, ponche crème and the White Russian. I’ve seen more amaretto, creme de menthe, and chocolate liqueur around this year than ever in recent memory.
Which brings me to today’s cocktail, a chocolate-tinged affair that’s on the menu at Moondog, a new East Williamsburg listening bar. This isn’t a creamy holiday drink, or an oversweet one, but its hint of chocolate and orange feel right for the season. The chocolate-orange combo may refer to Jaffa Cakes, which have a layer of orange jam under the chocolate, but to me it’ll always bring to mind Terry’s chocolate oranges wrapped in foil.
Yes, you’ll need a bottle of chocolate liqueur to make this riff on the Old Fashioned. At Moondog, they’re using Giffard, which offers a clear version, but the drink is also delicious with Tempus Fugit’s chocolate-hued crème de cacao.
One advantage of the clear liqueur is that you can use the rest of the bottle to make pretty pastel Pink Squirrels or Grasshoppers, or this delightfully-weird riff on the Corpse Reviver, but any high-quality crème de cacao can be used in a Brandy Alexander (just equal parts brandy, crème de cacao, and cream, shaken together until frothy). All of these retro concoctions go well with your fuzzy slippers.
The crème de cacao serves as one delicate sweetener for the drink, which is based on aged tequila rather than whiskey. (We’ve heard this one before; if you’ve never had this agave-based Old Fashioned, do.) Then the cocktail gets a touch more subtle flavor and sweetness from date syrup—I used Just Date because it was in stock nearby. The syrup is diluted for easy mixing, and it adds a caramel-like, nutty flavor that layers nicely with the chocolate, añejo tequila, and orange bitters. In the glass, you may not be able to pick out each element; it all melds together beautifully.
And it’s delicious with cookies.
Jaffa Old Fashioned
Recipe: Josef Griz for Moondog, Brooklyn
Note from Maggie: Before you get started, combine equal parts date syrup or silan and water until dissolved. I usually use warm water for easier mixing; shaking in a mason jar. Store refrigerated.
2 oz. añejo tequila (Moondog uses G4)
¼ oz. cacao liqueur, such as Giffard crème de cacao
½ oz. diluted date syrup (1:1, see note)
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange twist for garnish
Combine 2 oz. añejo tequila, ¼ oz. cacao liqueur, ½ oz. 1:1 diluted date syrup, and 2 dashes orange bitters in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir until well chilled. Add a large ice cube to a rocks glass and strain cocktail over. Garnish with flamed orange twist.
Looking for other holiday cocktails? Let me recommend a book or two…