This chocolate martini recipe is rich and creamy: the best treat for a chocoholic! Serve garnished with grated chocolate.

Chocolate martini

Looking for a cocktail to please a chocoholic? (Guilty as charged, over here.) Try this Chocolate Martini! This drink is rich and creamy, basically a dessert in a glass. It’s got Irish cream and creme de cacao for maximum flavor, like the liquid version of your favorite chocolate bar. Mix this up as an after dinner drink to impress guests…or just anytime you need a sweet treat in cocktail form. Here’s more about how to make this sweet and creamy cocktail.

What’s in a chocolate martini?

The vodka martini is about as far from a classic dry martini as they come. In fact, it’s ironic that vodka martinis even carry the name! The Classic Martini is straight up gin and vermouth: it’s as dry as they come. You can also make a vodka version of the classic, but a family of sweet and fruity vodka martinis started to become popular in the 1990’s. There’s really no resemblance to the original martini: so it’s just a fun excuse to make a vodka mixed drink!

The chocolate martini is a concept that all bartenders riff on, so there’s no “official” definition like the lemon drop martini or espresso martini. Here’s what we put in our chocolate martini recipe:

  • Vodka
  • Irish cream (like Baileys)
  • Creme de cacao
  • Heavy cream
  • Simple syrup
  • Cocoa powder

Want another variation? Try the Chocolatini instead!

Creme de cacao

What’s creme de cacao?

Creme de cacao might not be something you’re used to stocking in your liquor cabinet. It’s most famous for its use in the Brandy Alexander and the Grasshopper: but it’s also popularly used in a chocolate martini! Here’s a little more about this specialty liquor:

  • Creme de cacao is a cocoa bean flavored liqueur, available in both white (clear) and dark varieties. It has a long history: it’s possibly one of the first alcoholic beverages, made in the 1600’s by monks after cocoa beans were brought back to Europe from America (source).
  • What does creme de cacao taste like? White creme de cacao, the clear variety, tastes like milk chocolate with notes of vanilla.
  • How much does creme de cacao cost? It costs between $10 to $20 for a 750 ml bottle.
  • Is it worth buying? Yes, if you like sweet cocktails! You can make creme de cacao drinks like the Brandy Alexander, Grasshopper or Bushwacker.

More about Irish cream

Irish cream is a liqueur made with Irish whiskey and cream. The most popular Irish cream is Baileys, but there are other brands of Irish cream (we used a different brand for this recipe). The most popular Irish cream cocktail is the Mudslide, which itself is a variant of the classic creamy White Russian.

Chocolate martini

How to make a chocolate martini

Got those two specialty liquors? Then all you need is heavy cream, simple syrup and cocoa powder, and you’re good to go! There are lots of ways to make a chocolate martini recipe, like with melted chocolate or chocolate syrups. This one works well with just straight up cocoa powder. Here’s what to do:

  • Shake in a cocktail shaker: Throw all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and add 2 handfuls of ice. Shake 15 seconds until cold. Don’t have a cocktail shaker? Try a covered mason jar.
  • Strain and garnish. That’s it! Strain it into a cocktail glass or martini glass (using any type of strainer if you don’t have a cocktail shaker). Garnish with a little shaved chocolate if you’d like to be fancy.

More martinis

There are so many more flavored types of martinis to try! Here are some of our favorites:

When to serve a chocolate martini

The chocolate martini recipe works before dinner, after dinner, or anytime in between. Serve it as a:

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Chocolate martini

Best Chocolate Martini


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x

Description

This chocolate martini recipe is rich and creamy: the best treat for a chocoholic! Serve garnished with grated chocolate. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ ounces* vodka
  • 1 ½ ounce white creme de cacao
  • ½ ounce Irish cream (like Baileys)
  • ½ ounce heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon simple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • Grated chocolate, for the garnish

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Fill it with 2 handfuls ice and shake it until cold.
  2. Strain into a martini or cocktail glass. If desired, garnish with grated chocolate.

Notes

*To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons

  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Shaken
  • Cuisine: Cocktails
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Chocolate martini

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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