Dark Chocolate Orange Mocktini
A rich, silky chocolate mocktail with cocoa, fresh orange zest and juice, shaken with half-and-half and served in a martini glass with a dark chocolate rim and an orange twist.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-process gives the darkest, smoothest flavor
- 1 tbsp sugar or maple syrup; add a little more if you like it sweeter
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp orange zest finely grated, from the orange you juice
- 3 oz half-and-half or 2 oz whole milk plus 1 oz heavy cream; use a barista-style oat milk for dairy-free
- 1 oz fresh orange juice about 2 tbsp, from about half an orange
- 1 square dark chocolate about 10 g, finely grated, for the rim; check the label for milk, soy and nuts
- 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder for the rim
- 1 cup ice for shaking
- 1 strip orange peel for the twist; a vegetable peeler makes this easy
Instructions
- Make the cocoa syrup: in a mug, whisk the cocoa powder, sugar and salt with the hot water until completely smooth. Stir in the orange zest and let it sit for 3 minutes to cool and soak up the orange.
- Rim the glass: mix the grated dark chocolate and 1/2 tsp cocoa on a small plate. Dab a little of the cocoa syrup around the rim of a martini glass with your fingertip, then dip the rim into the chocolate crumbs. Pop the glass in the freezer while you shake.
- Fill a cocktail shaker (or a jar with a tight lid) with ice. Add the cocoa syrup, half-and-half and orange juice.
- Shake hard for about 15 seconds, until the shaker feels frosty and the drink is foamy.
- Strain through a fine strainer into the rimmed glass to catch the zest. Twist the orange peel over the drink to release its oils, perch it on the rim, and serve right away.
Notes
How to order it at a bar or cafe: At a cocktail bar, say: "Could you make me a chocolate orange martini with no alcohol? Chocolate syrup, fresh orange juice and cream, shaken hard with ice, in a martini glass with an orange twist." Add: "No bitters or liqueur, please," since those contain alcohol. At a coffee shop, ask for "an iced chocolate milk shaken with chocolate sauce, no espresso, with a pump of orange syrup if you have it."
Allergens: contains dairy. Dark chocolate often contains milk and soy, and may be made on shared equipment with nuts, peanuts or gluten, so check labels for cross-contact.
Dairy-free: use a barista-style oat milk (labeled gluten-free if needed) and a dairy-free dark chocolate for the rim.
Caffeine: cocoa and dark chocolate contain a little caffeine, less than a cup of coffee.
Keep it alcohol-free: most orange and vanilla extracts and most bitters are made with alcohol. Want more orange? Add extra zest, or use an extract clearly labeled alcohol-free.
Make it a mocha: add 1 oz cooled espresso (decaf is fine) to the shaker.