cocktail Archives – A Well Crafted Party

Cocktails

Black Forest Cocktail- Cherry & Chocolate Martini Recipe

February 2, 2025 1 Comment Cocktails

Cherry and chocolate belong together. It is a fact and there is no disputing it. They especially go together on Valentine’s Day (despite Cherries not being in season in my area). Black Forest Cake is my favorite cake and so when I started to think about a chocolate martini to serve for Valentine’s Day I naturally wanted to lean into trying to create a Black Forest Martini.

When creating this cocktail I knew I wanted it to have the essence of Black Forest Cake without going too far into dessert territory. The key to a good chocolate martini though is to not allow it to be too sweet. If a chocolate martini is so sweet that feels like you’re drinking dessert, you’re done with the meal and ready for bed before the night has even started. Also, I knew that adding in cherry could be a dangerous mix. Some cherry cordials or cherry syrups can just make your cocktail taste like a bad nostalgic take on children’s medication. I needed to find a balanced mix that wasn’t overwhelming nor cloyingly sweet, but still taste like cherries and chocolate.

The secret to not going overboard in the sweetness department was using good quality ingredients and ingredients that didn’t rely on sugar to carry flavor. I used a dark chocolate syrup rather than a sweeter milk chocolate. Cherry bitters and cherry liqueur carry the cherry flavor and scent rather than a grenadine.

Black Forest Cocktail — Cherry Chocolate Martini Recipe

Black Forest Cocktail

Jenni

A delicious dessert cocktail reminiscent of the traditional black forest cake where chocolate and cherry create a decadent treat.

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Servings 1 cocktail

Equipment

1 Cocktail Shaker
1 Jigger
1 Martini Glass chilled

Ingredients

1 oz Vodka
1 oz Half & Half
3/4 oz Cherry Liqueur
1/2 oz Chocolate Liqueur
a few dashes Cherry Bitters
Chocolate Syrup for garnish
Ice for shaker
2-3 maraschino cherries on a bamboo skewer for garnish

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Take a chilled martini glass and swirl the glass with chocolate syrup
Add ice to a shaker
Top the ice with 1 ounce of vodka, 1 ounce of half and half, 3/4 ounce cherry liqueur, 1/2 ounce chocolate liqueur, and a few dashes of cherry bitters.
Shake the mixture over ice, strain into chocolate drizzled martini glass
Garnish with maraschino cherries

Keyword cocktail, drink

Saving I love you to someone is one of the most important things you can do. It has meaning every time. Whether you are celebrating the love you have of your friends, your partner, or yourself… this cherry and chocolate martini, this Black Forest Cocktail will be.a drink worth celebrating that love.

I love love. I also love cherries and chocolate. 😉

A Well Crafted Pantry

Spiced Cranberry Negroni Holiday Cocktail

December 13, 2023 2 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

Sometimes that eggnog and hot buttered rum just doesn’t hit the spot. When you want to serve a cocktail that feels like the holidays, but isn’t one of the classics you always see, try this spiced cranberry negroni for Holiday a twist on an Italian classic… and something your guests probably haven’t tried recently. The flavors of a classic cranberry sauce spiced with orange zest and cinnamon is paired with the bitter notes of clove, cinnamon, and citrus of campari, the freshness of gin, and depth of sweet vermouth to create a truly interesting holiday sipper.

Holiday cocktail in christmas bauble with pink and red decor

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I know that the bitter notes of campari can be difficult for some, but hear me out on this drink. While a traditional negroni has either devoted followers or haters, this twist on the original offers a more balanced approach to appeal to the holiday guest. It may even be a way to convert some people over to join you for some amazing aperol spritz and negronis next summer when you host your next cocktail party.

Spiced Cranberry Syrup

Before you can make this cocktail you have to first make the spiced cranberry syrup. The best part of this recipe, is you have some tasty spiced cranberry sauce in the end as well!

Makes approximately 1 cup of syrup

1 Bag of Fresh Cranberries rinsed and de-stemmed (16 oz) – you can substitute frozen, just decrease the water by 1/4 cup
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 zest of orange

Directions: Put all ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring so that sugar does not burn, until sugar is fully dissolved and berries have cooked and are bursting. Smash the berries with a spoon and continue to cook until liquid has reduced some and will coat the spoon slightly. This takes around 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool. Separate the liquid from the berries. Keep the cranberry sauce to use for a holiday appetizer. Reserve the liquid to use in the Negroni cocktail or other holiday drinks!

A Holiday Twist on the Negroni: Spiced Cranberry Negroni Cocktail

Makes 1 cocktail (scroll below for a batch recipe)

1 oz gin
1 oz campari
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz cranberry juice
1 oz spiced cranberry syrup

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker* over ice and shake. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass or over a large cube of ice* in a rocks glass—your choice!

Batch Holiday Cocktail Recipe: Spiced Cranberry Negroni Cocktail

Makes 6 cocktails

6 oz gin
6 oz campari
6 oz sweet vermouth
6 oz cranberry juice
6 oz spiced cranberry syrup
3 oz water

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher and chill in fridge. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass or over a large cube of ice in a rocks glass—your choice!

TIP: I’ll be pouring these into ornaments and chilling in fridge. Guests can then pour the chilled drink directly from their ornament and into their glass! I use the clear ornaments* that can be cleaned out with soap and water. I remove the metal insert and use plastic wrap to seal the bauble and cover with the metal cap. However, I’m sure that some companies are making these baubles with caps on them just for this use now-a-days, I just haven’t used them before!

Holiday cocktail overhead shot with pink and red decor

This year, instead of having the boring old-standbys for your holiday party, spice things up with this Spiced Cranberry Negroni Cocktail. Suddenly your party will be more interesting and intellectual. Your guests will agree that you are the absolute best and no one else will have a holiday party like yours. I am sure of it. 😉

Cocktails

Spiced Apple Cocktail

September 22, 2023 1 Comment Cocktails

Fall is in the air. School is starting up. People are prepping for the holidays. Soup season is just waiting for the first chilly afternoon. In my books, that means it is time for a celebration. Celebrating the start of this season doesn’t need to be elaborate, everyone is busy this time of year after all. To start my celebration I created a Spiced Apple Cocktail filled with my favorite flavors that remind me of Fall—spiced cider, apples, bourbon, and cinnamon.

This spiced apple cocktail starts off with making a spiced simple syrup. Simple syrup is a 1 to 1 ratio of sugar and water heated on medium heat until sugar has dissolved, and this time we are going to steep some mulling spices and cinnamon in the mixture. Letting the mixture steep in the fridge overnight will increase the intensity of flavor. Strain the spice mixture from the simple syrup for use. It will last in the fridge in a closed container for 7 days.

Spiced Apple Cocktail

2 oz Bourbon
1 oz Apple Cinnamon Vodka (Or Apple Brandy)
1 oz Apple Juice
1 oz Spiced Simple Syrup
Sugar, apple slices, and cinnamon stick for garnish

In a cocktail shaker over ice, pour the bourbon, apple cinnamon vodka, apple juice, and spiced simple syrup. Shake! Strain the mixture into a cocktail glass rimmed with sugar and top with a slice of apple and a cinnamon stick.

For a non-alcoholic treat mix 2 oz of the spiced simple syrup with 3 oz of apple juice!