Crafting the Cacao Cosmo Cocktail

In a recent episode of the Bean to Barstool podcast, chocolate educator Kathryn Laverack of Cocoa Encounters and pub owner Victoria Hopper of The Brown Cow in Louth, Lincolnshire, talked about they’ve learned in developing cacao and chocolate cocktail recipes. They were kind enough to share the recipe for their delicious Cacao Cosmo, which you can find below. If you make it, let us know how it goes, and be sure to share photos!

You can listen to the interview with Kathryn and Victoria here:

Making a Cacao Cosmo Cocktail

Photo provided by Kathryn Laverack.

Prep in Advance:

Cocoa nib infused vodka
—Add 150g of cocoa nibs to 500ml vodka
—Leave the nibs in the vodka for minimum of 2 weeks, turning the bottle or jar daily. 
—Use cocoa nibs with a good, deep chocolate flavor.

Chocolate snowflakes (for garnish)
—Pipe melted chocolate snowflake onto greaseproof paper and leave to set. 
—Make snowflakes from chocolate made from the same origin of nibs so you can taste the chocolate by eating the snowflake before you try the cocktail.
—You will need to make the snowflakes in advance to allow them to set.

Recipe for 2 cocktails:

Ingredients
—4 measures (100ml) cocoa nib infused vodka
—2 measures (50ml)  Triple Sec (not Cointreau)
—6 measures (150ml) unsweetened cranberry juice
—Freshly squeezed juice of a lime

Process
—Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice and shake well.
—Strain into two coupe glasses.
—Top each with a chocolate snowflake. 

During our conversation, Kathryn and Victoria also shared the details of a whiskey and craft chocolate pairing they hosted at The Brown Cow. Below are the pairings they used, if you want to recreate it at home.