Salted caramel vodka: all you need to know

Salted caramel combines with the gentle warmth of vodka for flavour like no other

At Hotel Chocolat, salted caramel is an unbudging favourite. How could it not be, when rich, gooey caramel, lifted with a touch of sea salt, just goes so well with our high cacao chocolate? Perhaps that’s why our chocolatiers couldn’t refrain from pouring it into our alcohol range. Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur: a pairing you didn’t know you needed to try — until you had your first sip. This liqueur is perfect for special occasions, leaving a moreish taste after your toast. In this article, we’ll dive into everything there is to know about salted caramel vodka to help your next celebration feel a little extra indulgent.

What does salted caramel vodka taste like?

Salted Caramel Vodka just tastes like salted caramel, right? Well, not exactly. We like to think ours has a more complex flavour profile. We infuse our premium vodka with toasted cacao for a malted backdrop. Next, we melt high-quality salted caramel and pour it in. Our salted caramel is buttery and smooth, with a clotted cream consistency for that thick and gooey texture.

When added to vodka, the salted caramel lifts into an entirely new flavour profile. The gentle warmth of vodka adds further depth to your celebratory drink, releasing nuanced cacao notes with each sip.

What makes our Salted Caramel Cacao Vodka Liqueur different?

When we make our Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur, we treat each step with thought, care, and imagination. Instead of simply combining salted caramel with vodka, we chose to infuse our mixture with rich and nutty cacao notes. This gives a more round-bodied tasting experience, adding a touch of cacao for an evolved flavour profile.

We even consider the type of cacao bean we use in our vodka. Single-origin cacao beans offer a complex tasting profile. Because single-origin beans are affected by factors such as sunlight and soil quality, they take on a distinctive identity. The result? A cacao bean which boasts multi-layered notes. Because we grow some of our cacao beans on our St Lucia estate, we understand just how climate can impact the resulting product. We select only the best beans to sustain a high-quality product, from bean to bar — or bean to bottle, in the case of our Salted Caramel Vodka.

Not only does infusing our vodka with cacao give our liqueur a distinctive finish but it also acts as part of Our Planet Pledge. We’re committed to reducing waste, in a way which works for everyone. Rather than throw away our cacao shells, we saw their potential in transforming our liqueur into something unique.

What do you drink salted caramel vodka with?

Once you’ve got your bottle of golden salted caramel vodka, you might be wondering how best to enjoy it. Here are a few of our favourite ways to sip and savour our Salted Caramel Cacao Vodka Liqueur.

On the rocks

Simple, quick and indulgent. An intimate tasting experience, with no distractions. Splash our liqueur over ice, and take a moment to enjoy the gentle clink of frozen cubes against the glug of liqueur. If you’re feeling extra fancy, chill the glass before to prevent the watering down of your celebratory drink.

Tipsy hot chocolate

Pouring a measure of whisky or rum into hot chocolate adds a gentle smoky heat. If you enjoy your hot chocolate with a heady finish, then try adding in a measure of salted caramel vodka for a quintessentially adult treat.

One of our favourite things about salted caramel is its versatility; both in chocolate and as an irresistible drink. Revolutionise your hot chocolate ritual by pairing a serving of the liqueur with different hot chocolate sachets to experience a varied and unique flavour. The Everything Hot Chocolate Sachet Selection provides 10 sachets for you to choose from. 

Add a serving of your liqueur into our Ginger 70% Dark for a drink which will leave you aglow with all the aromas of fiery ginger. Alternatively, mix it into our Vanilla White Hot Chocolate for an elegant and creamy treat.

Cacao-infused cocktails

If you’re entertaining guests and want to pull out all the stops, then serving cacao-infused cocktails is one way to make their dining experience memorable. Infuse cocktails with our Salted Caramel Cacao Vodka Liqueur for a cocktail that can be sipped on slowly during pre-dinner drinks, or enjoyed after the mains are served for an easy, but delightful, alternative to a dessert.

One of the best things about using our liqueur in a cocktail? You don’t have to be a trained mixologist to make them. We’ve picked out some of our favourite irresistible chocolate cocktails to share the recipe with you. Combine citrus bursts of fresh orange with lavish salted caramel and daring 100% Dark in a Vegan Dark Chocolate & Salted Caramel Soother* for a cocktail worthy of any bar.

*We believe this chocolate is suitable for vegans. However, as it is made in the same environment as our milk chocolate, we cannot guarantee it is free from milk.

Try our sumptuous Salted Caramel & Clementine Velvetised Chocolate Cream

Although we don’t mean to sound like a broken record, salted caramel ticks all the boxes when it comes to versatility. That’s why our chocolatiers couldn’t help experimenting with different drinking experiences — namely, our Salted Caramel & Clementine Velvetised Chocolate Cream. Orange and salted caramel might not be the most obvious flavour pairing, but it seems to just work.

Tastes of dulce de leche are lifted by a citrus tang for a clean and refreshed finish on the palate. Bottling the juiciest notes of a fresh orange, made ripe by the beaming Mediterranean sun, might seem difficult, but we keep hold of its natural freshness by using only natural ingredients. Nothing artificial, ever.

Cacao-infused tipples from Hotel Chocolat

Intrigued to know more about our cacao-infused tipples? Browse our Alcohol Gifts to discover the concoctions our chocolatiers dream up. Each bottle is infused with the toasted edge of cacao for that unique flavour experience you won’t find anywhere else.

Elevate an Espresso Martini by combining our Espresso Martini Velvetised Cream with a shot of espresso for a creamier, smoother cocktail. Perfect served on the rocks, or gently heated.

Alternatively, create your own salted caramel Espresso Martini by combining a shot of espresso with our Salted Caramel Velvetised Chocolate Cream. Thick, luxurious, with a consistency of double cream, this bottle pairs effortlessly with punchy notes of coffee.

Chocolate, caramel and alcohol is a certifiable recipe for celebration. Our chocolate and alcohol range makes for a wonderful way to say cheers, or to treat a loved one. Our Tipples & Treats: Chocolate Velvetised Cream & Macarons Collection brings the Parisian flavours of a crisp, high-cacao macaron straight to their home. Inside this gift lies not only macarons, but also our Velvetised Chocolate Cream. This bottle should be a staple for all self-professed mixologists who seek out adventurous cocktails, from the comfort of their home.

Our Salted Caramel Cacao Vodka Liqueur is an award-winning recipe, designed to bottle all the heavenly tastes of salted caramel, ready for you to savour.