Your guide to alcohol and chocolate

Two of life’s greatest indulgences brought together — who could ask for more?

An evening of chocolate, warmed by a tipple — what could be better? Given the vast diversity of flavours in both alcohol and chocolate, we’re here to make sure that you find the perfect alcohol and chocolate partnership to tickle your tastebuds.

Which alcohol goes with which chocolate?

Just as certain cheeses pair well with certain wines, there are some types of alcohol that we think really set off the rich flavours of our chocolate. From creamy white chocolate to the most intense dark, here’s what we recommend to complement your chocolate.

White chocolate

White chocolate is arguably the creamiest of the mainstream chocolate types, and so it’s a good idea to pair it with a drink that balances out that sweet, cocoa-buttery charm. We’d recommend pairing it with a chilled Provence Rosé. White chocolate’s creaminess pleasantly elevates the wine’s refreshing strawberry notes.

If you really want to lean into smooth, rich flavours, you can double up with a milk stout — which is a dark beer brewed with milk sugars to give it a creamy flavour. Couple it with our 37% cocoa-butter white chocolate for a decadent pudding.

Milk chocolate

Pair milk chocolate with a light white wine like a Pinot Grigio to really bring out the smooth, creaminess of the milk chocolate. The refreshing, crisp notes of the wine will cleanse your palate for the mellow cocoa notes running through our 40% Milk.

For a beer pairing, opt for a refreshing pale ale to balance out the richness of the chocolate. We can’t help but recommend our very own cacao shell-infused beers. Our Cocoa Beer is just the drink to complement a good milk chocolate. Our smooth, not-too-sweet porter’s robust flavour is a great choice to complement our 50% milk. Both the drink and the chocolate have found the perfect balance between sweetness and depth of flavour.

Dark chocolate

Ah, dark chocolate, the chocolate of decadence and late evenings. As it has deeper, more savoury flavour notes, dark chocolate is perhaps the most common chocolate and alcohol pairing. Why not pair a square of dark chocolate with a coffee liqueur for a post-dinner pick-me-up?

Dark chocolate is also a devoted partner to red wine — specifically a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine’s black fruit notes complement the rounded flavour of the dark chocolate. We love the red wine and dark chocolate combination so much we made a Red Wine Selector truffle for those times when the wine cupboard is bare. We sourced a special Portuguese red wine made with heirloom grapes and aged in oak barrels for a rich, almost spicy wine which holds its own next to the 70% dark chocolate shell.

Hot chocolate

For a cold winter’s night, there is also the option of the alcoholic hot chocolate — the perfect fireside companion. For this, we turn to the spirit cupboard. A shot of gin would be a good option to lift the creaminess of a white hot chocolate, and a cherry vodka (as inspired by Polish tradition) adds extra depth to milk or dark hot chocolate.

Spiced rum adds a warming dimension to milk hot chocolate, and whisky’s rich flavours give your dark hot chocolate an extra layer of flavour. You can also get creative with our chocolate-inspired tipples — from Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur to our irresistible Velvetised Chocolate Cream.

What is an alcohol chocolate?

We know that alcohol and chocolate make a great pairing, which is why we’ve spent years experimenting with alcohol chocolate recipes. We wanted to move away from the old-school chocolate liqueur bottle-shaped shells filled with sweet, syrupy versions of your favourite drink.

Instead, we worked on creating the smoothest truffle filling we could, pairing each liqueur with a chocolate percentage that truly complemented — and never masked — the flavours of the top-shelf tipple. Then, we encased it in a chocolate shell for a decadent and balanced treat.

Can you get drunk on alcoholic chocolates?

Given the size of the average chocolate truffle, it’s very unlikely that you would get drunk from chocolate truffles. Unlikely — but not completely impossible.

To put it simply, yes you can, but you would need to consume an amount that could have some serious impacts on your blood sugar levels. For instance, if you had an average 100g block of chocolate, around 8% of this weight would be the alcohol. Given that most spirits are around 40% in alcohol content, that would be around 8ml of alcohol per block.

To put this into context, one shot is 30ml. So that would be the equivalent of eating almost four 100g blocks of chocolate! If you were truly dedicated to rendering yourself fully inebriated by eating alcoholic chocolate alone, it’s likely you would need to eat close to 2kgs of chocolate.

But to no one’s surprise, some people have tried. One such attempt led to a dedicated test subject consuming 20 truffles which were around 5% alcohol in volume. At the end of the test, the blood alcohol reading on the breathalyser was a resounding 0.00. It’s highly likely your stomach would give out long before you got to any substantial levels of inebriation.

Premium spirits and smooth irresistible chocolate is a match made in heaven. The partnership of alcohol and chocolate in its many forms is meant to be a delectable treat suitable for many occasions — but getting steaming drunk, however, is not one of them.

Whether it’s a romantic gift or a dinner party treat, alcoholic chocolates are a winning combination. They give you all the nuanced flavour of your favourite drink, without having to worry about not being able to drive home!

Our favourite alcohol chocolates

At Hotel Chocolat, we’ve delved deep into experimenting with different alcohol chocolate flavours, and we’ve kept the best for you to try. We only have room to talk about a few here, but our Tipsy Truffles Sleekster has them all — treat yourself!

We’ve put a vast array of flavours together so there’s sure to be something for everyone. Our particular favourites include the Mojito Chocolate Selector for those who love rum chocolate, and the classic Whisky Truffles Selector for a whisky and chocolate pairing.

Here are some of our favourite alcohol truffles selectors:

Champagne: Elegant and uplifting milk chocolate and cream truffles with a generous splash of Mercier Champagne.

Pink Champagne: Fruity and enlivening milk chocolate and cream truffles with a generous splash of Mercier Champagne and a hint of strawberry.

Whisky: A shot of 12-year-old Speyside single malt — notes of apple blossom, pear and heather; smoky finish – all mellowed in a soft truffle. Whisky and chocolate. Sublime.

Salted Espresso Martini: A glug of our own Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur, organic Turkish coffee and a pinch of salt. Sealed in caramel-milk chocolate. The ultimate vodka chocolate.

Liquor Collection No. 1: A trio of tipples in one Selector: real Mercier Champagne with strawberry; a lively, floral London gin and Saint Lucian Rum with a twist of lime.

Liquor Collection No. 2: One Selector, three recipes: single-estate Aged Cognac, 10-year-old Single Malt Whisky and Saint Lucian Golden Rum.

Alcohol chocolate gift sets

We have got all bases covered regardless of your favourite tipple — including the ever-popular gin. If you adore gin and chocolate, our Chocolate and Gin Gift Collection will satisfy your preferences. This collection includes two 50ml bottles of small-batch cacao gin distilled in the traditional way with a burst of juniper and zesty Minneolas. We used cacao shells from our farm on Saint Lucia to create an aromatic cocoa depth.

When you really want to surprise someone, go for the Chocolate and Fizz Collection. This option gives you the perfect pairing of prosecco with a variety of different signature chocolates. Enjoy a selection of some of our favourites then wash it all down with a 20cl bottle of clean and full-bodied prosecco from the Dolomite foothills near Venice.

Whatever tipple you like to pair with your chocolate, we’ve got you covered! Browse our online alcohol chocolate selection to find the perfect one for your palate. Or choose a tipsy collection as a gift — you’re sure to bring a smile to their face!