Valentine’s Day Chocolate Martini

By Michele D. Baker

The perfect Valentine’s cocktail – the Chocolate Martini –is a martini in name only but so delicious, we’ll allow it. This recipe, courtesy of Liquor.com, is a decadent concoction that easily can double as dessert and nightcap all-in-one.

Once shunned for its sweetness, many top-notch bars now

Ingredients:

• Cocoa powder, to rim glass

• 1 oz. chocolate liqueur (such as Godiva), plus more for rimming glass

• 1 oz. crème de cacao (such as Giffard)

• 1 oz. vodka (such as Cathead)

• 1/2 oz. half-and-half

• Ripe strawberries for garnish offer their own renditions of it (and its cousin, the Espresso Martini). The key is using the highest-quality ingredients possible, such as Giffard creme de cacao, Godiva chocolate liqueur, and Cathead vodka. edm

1. Add a small amount of chocolate liqueur into a small, rimmed plate. Add a small amount of cocoa powder to another plate. Dip the rim of an inverted cocktail glass into the liqueur, then into the cocoa powder. Set aside.

2. Add the chocolate liqueur, creme de cacao, vodka and halfand-half into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass.

3. For garnish, create a strawberry heart by cutting a ripe berry in half lengthwise and using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to make the perfect shape. Make a small slice in the pointed end and slip over the edge of the glass, or thread several hearts on a cocktail stick.

4. Other options: After rimming the glass with cocoa, swirl a line of dark chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass. Top with a sprinkle of dark chocolate shavings before adding the strawberry heart.