Chocolate Devotion: Visit South Africa with This Chocolate Cocktail

South Africa is one of my favorite places in the world. And since we’re quarantined and not traveling, I thought I’d visit The Motherland in my imagination…through a cocktail, of course. Enter the “Chocolate Devotion.”

The recipe below makes one cocktail.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Syrup:

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup water

• i cup cacao powder

Cocktail:

• 1/4 cup vodka

• 1/4 cup Amarula

• 1/4 cup chocolate syrup

• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. For your chocolate syrup, mix the sugar and cacao powder in a saucepan on low heat. Then add water and still continuously for about five minutes. Let cool before using for the cocktail.

2. Pour enough cacao powder on a plate or flat surface to lightly cover it. Set it aside.

3. Once the chocolate syrup has cooled, spread some on a plate or flat surface and dip the rim of your cup. Then dip your cup in the cacao powder to cover the rim.

4. Next, add all cocktail ingredients to a cocktail shaker already filled with ice. Shake vigorously until thoroughly mixed.

5. Pour contents of the shaker into your glass.

6. Garnish with mint and enjoy!

This cocktail is the chocolate lover’s dream. I know chocolate cocktails aren’t for everyone, but this one is delicious. Trust me. And try adding a splash of peppermint liqueur or creme de menthe if you like for even more flavor. Cheers!

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Want to learn more about Amarula? Click here. There’s another cocktail inside too!

Strawberry Limeade Rum Punch Recipe to Celebrate Juneteenth

Juneteenth celebrates when word of slavery ending finally reached Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, 30 months after the Emancipation Proclamation became law of the land on January 1, 1863. (All enslaved people weren’t actually free after Juneteenth either but that’s another story.)⁣

Celebrations have been happening since then and have spread across the country over the years as people have migrated north and west. Today, Juneteenth is a time for rejoicing and reflection, and celebrates Black freedom and achievement.⁣

⁣What you may not know is that red food and drinks are customary for Juneteenth celebrations. The color red is symbolic in many West African cultures for sacrifice, war, power, life and death. Bissap (hibiscus) and kola nut were native to West Africa, both emitting a red color once steeped in hot water to make tea. They made their way to the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States through the slave trade.⁣

⁣Traditions were passed down and as Juneteenth became more widely celebrated, red food and drinks were a must. They symbolize Black people’s suffering, perseverance, ingenuity and resilience. Red velvet cake, watermelon, and other red foods are common at Juneteenth celebrations. Red drinks have taken the form of strawberry lemonade and soda in more recent years.⁣

⁣I created a strawberry limeade rum punch to celebrate this year. We have made so much progress, but still have so far to go. Cheers to Juneteenth!

Cheers!