Chocolate and Whiskey Make the Ideal Valentine's Day Cocktail

On Valentine's Day, many people focus on dinner and dessert, ignoring a key component that can truly impress your partner: a hand-crafted after-dinner beverage. As luck would have it, whiskey and chocolate—a staple for Valentine’s Day—are a match made in heaven.

“Whisky and chocolate work very well together without drowning out each others' notes,” says Alberto Battaglini, co-owner of PONY in Santa Ynez, California. “They have a symbiotic relationship where chocolate will coat the bitterness and ABV of the whisky, and on the other hand, whisky will cut down the sweetness of the chocolate.”

Experience this harmony in Battaglini's Chocolate-Washed Sazerac, a sweeter, deeper, complex riff on the traditional version. “A customer always wanted to have an after-dinner cocktail with more punch than a regular amaro,” he explains. “Adding the chocolate-washed whiskey was a way to keep the flavor under control and mask the alcohol, creating a very balanced cocktail.” It's the perfect way to cap off your romantic evening.

Chocolate-Washed Sazerac

• 2 oz. cocoa rye (recipe below)
• 1/2 oz. Nonino amaro
• 2 dashes chocolate bitters
• Orange zest and absinthe (optional) for garnish

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 1 minute. Strain over a large rock in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange zest. If desired, spray glass with absinthe for a final anise-forward touch.

Cocoa Rye

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup cocoa nibs
• 1 bottle (750 ml) Pikesville Rye (or other rye)

Heat butter in a saucepot over low heat until melted. Add cocoa nibs, mix well, and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn heat off. Add whisky and let rest for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate for 2 days, then strain over a coffee filter into the whisky bottle or other sealed container. Whisky keeps indefinitely and is shelf-stable.