oxysequitur

I haven’t mentioned the February FSC Food Swap because well…it was “pre new blog”. It was my first food swap. One of my offerings was Chocolate Liqueur.

February’s swap comes up now because yesterday I received two (count ‘em…two) emails asking about the “recipe” for the chocolate liqueur.

There are several chocolate liqueur recipes floating around. Mine began as the recipe from The Essence of Chocolate and has been tweaked here and there over the last few years. It has a nice chocolate flavor and a little vodka something-something on the back end. Chocolate Liqueur is one of my favorite liqueurs to serve guests. Creaminess can be added by finishing with a little heavy cream poured over a spoon or whipped cream. I’ve used both Scharffen Berger and Valrhona cocoa powder. I prefer the Valrhona in this liqueur. It has a more assertive chocolate flavor in this recipe. Use what you like. Experiment. Make it your own.

Ginny’s Oxysequitur Chocolate Liqueur
1/2 c Valrhona unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c boiling water
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c water
3 cups Absolut Vodka

Big Finish
heavy cream (can make whipped cream)
chopped hazelnuts, chocolate curls or cocoa nibs

The Directions
Sift the cocoa powder to remove lumps.
Dissolve the cocoa powder into the measurement of boiling water.
Make a sugar syrup – Combine the sugar and the measurement of water in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer until sugar has dissolved. Add it to the cocoa mixture, stir, and let come to about room temperature. Add the vodka.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a container with a lid.
Refrigerate overnight (who am I kidding?).

Serving
Shake before serving.
Strain into a glass.
Go for a Big Finish. I like to finish with a little cream, chopped hazelnuts and chocolate curls.