Cooking Lesson #58— Ultimate Chocolate Martini

The Ultimate Chocolate Martini

How you doin’? I’m great, thank you! It’s my favorite day of the week—Happy Hour Friday! After a long hard week, our office staff used to go to one of several restaurants in West Los Angeles and have a couple of cocktails or a glass of wine and some nibblies. Sometimes we all just order dinner and ended the meal with a dessert cocktail, like a Chocolate Martini.
 
Are you ready for a true Hollywood story? Here goes—The Chocolate Martini was invented in America in 1955. It evolved from a cocktail called the Martinez—the original Martini—served sometime in the early 1860s at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco. So, the Chocolate Martini is a recent innovation in comparison to other martinis.
 
It was created by none other than the legendary Hollywood film stars, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor. These two were working together making the film Giant. Aside from being good friends they were also chocolate lovers. One night in Texas (sounds like the name of a movie), the two of them created the Chocolate Martini by mixing Hershey chocolate syrup (ick), a nondescript chocolate liqueur and vodka. One smart studio PR person thought it was a great story and an incredibly tasty drink and published the pictures. The rest of story is history as the Chocolate Martini attained popularity in America.
 
There are many versions of a chocolate martini, but how many are made with real chocolate? Most use chocolate flavored syrups or chocolate liqueurs to add the chocolate flavor, however in my estimation only real chocolate keeps the martini’s taste clean, crisp and dry. If you like your martini extra dry (not sweet), then this recipe with dark chocolate does what it is supposed to do. Start by making your own chocolate base.
 
Prep time: 20 minutes
Yield:  2 cocktails
 
Ingredients
For the chocolate sauce
5 ounces water (I prefer spring water)
3 ounces dark chocolate (70%), broken into pieces
3 ounces light brown sugar
 
For the cocktails
Cubed ice
4 ounces of the chocolate sauce (see recipe above)
4 ounces gin or vodka (I prefer Hendrick’s Gin or Kettle One Vodka)
2 ounces dry vermouth (I prefer Noilly Prat White)
Cocoa powder, for dusting (about a half teaspoon)

Directions
To make the chocolate sauce

1. In a small saucepan bring the water, the chocolate and sugar to a simmer over a low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is fully dissolved. Be careful not to burn.
2. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To make the cocktails

1. Place 2 large martini glasses in the freezer for about an hour.
2. Half fill a cocktail shaker with cubed ice, then add 4 ounces of the chocolate sauce, the gin (or vodka) and vermouth and shake well.
3. Strain and serve the Chocolate Martinis in the frozen glasses.
4. Lightly dust the cocktails with cocoa powder.

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