Chocolate seems to find its way into everything these days; cereal, popcorn, even wine. While chocolate is wonderful when blended with other edibles, it is equally, if not even more delightful when paired with certain items – namely, craft beer, wine, and spirits.
This is why Holiday Wine Cellar has teamed up with Bridge Brands Chocolate to offer our very own dark chocolate drops.
These chocolates contain a cacao content (55%) that is smack dab in the middle of milk chocolate and pure cacao. This makes them palatable to those that are just being introduced to dark chocolate, yet bitter and robust enough for the more seasoned chocolate lover.
This balance also lends these chocolates to pair well with a variety of libations. In the beer world, a roasty coffee stout, such as Ballast Point Victory At Sea or Butcher’s Continental Breakfast Stout pairs very nicely with the similar roasty flavors present in the chocolate.
When it comes to wine, port and madeira make for stellar candidates for a great chocolate pairing. Try a Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port, which has rich, berry flavors that match up perfectly with the chocolate drops.
For a good madeira and chocolate pairing, Blandy’s 1994 Malmsey Coheita Madeira sports notes of citrus, figs, and caramel. Just think about those flavors paired with chocolate. Perfect!
While these barrel-aged wines pair well with chocolate, barrel-aged options tend to work the best in the spirits category as well. A whiskey with sweet citrus, caramel, and vanilla notes such as Woodford Reserve Bourbon Whiskey makes for an excellent chocolate pairing, the flavors harmonizing perfectly together.
For a more approachable spirit that still manages to pack a big flavor punch, give an aged rum a try with your chocolate drops, such as Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva. The cinnamon, ginger, clove, and fruit cake notes of this rum are a perfect mate for chocolate.
Now that you have your pairings, there is only one thing left to do. Give one a try for yourself, and let us know what you think!
