Chocolate (dark) liqueur

Reference

Netherlands, France, Belgium, Craft distillers / USA

ABV20-25%

Sub-styles

cacao liqueurdark chocolate liqueurdessert modifier

Tasting Notes

Dark cacao, bitter chocolate, vanilla, coffee, roasted nut, dried fruit. Quality versions: cacao nib intensity, bitter-sweet balance, long finish. Budget versions: chocolate syrup sweetness, one-dimensional. The best dark chocolate liqueurs should taste like 70% cacao bars, not candy.

Brand Guide

Well

DeKuyper Crème de Cacao Dark ($10-15)

Call

Giffard Crème de Cacao ($18-22) — real cacao

Premium

Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao ($28-32) — historically accurate, less sweet. Mozart Dark Chocolate ($25-30)

Top Shelf

Nua Dark Chocolate ($30-35). The Tempus Fugit and Giffard versions are the bartender's choices

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The Story

Cacao processed into spirit. Dark chocolate bitterness balanced by sweetness in a dessert-ready liqueur.