Amazing Cocktail: Chocolate Covered Pretzel
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Shot
Equipment
- Jigger
- Cocktail Shaker
- Cocktail Strainer
- Shot Glass
Ingredients
- ½ oz Vanilla Vodka (15ml)
- ½ oz Creme de Cocoa (15ml)
- ½ oz Frangelico (15ml)
- Ice
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1 Dash Vanilla Bitter (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the Vanilla Vodka, Cremede Cocoa, and Frangelico in a cocktail shaker.
- Fill the shaker with ice.
- Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
- Strain into a shot glass(es).
- Lick your hand and add a pinch of salt.
- Drink the shot first and then lick the salt on your hand.
Notes
A Chocolate Covered Pretzel of Birthday Cake???
I learned about the Chocolate Covered Pretzel shot through my friend, Terry, who’s a professional bartender in NY. She told me ‘everyone goes nuts for this drink.’ So I thought I would give it a try. I didn’t have any Frangelico, but I’m always looking for an excuse to buy more liquor.
Frangelico is an Italian hazelnut liquor, which is pretty damn tasty. I did a fair amount of research into the liquor and what it could be used for. There are quite a number of drinks you can make. As a solid bonus, Frangelico can be used as a subtitle for vanilla extract in baked goods. It will alter the taste to something nuttier.
I also discovered that there is another shot called the Chocolate Birthday Cake with is almost identical. By almost I mean complete, sans the dash of salt. I had to put both versions to the test to see which was better and this is what I found.
- Both versions are very tasty, however it’s an overly sweet shot. This is a one and done situation.
- Because it’s overly sweet, the Chocolate Covered Pretzel version is the better of the two, since the salt adds a lot to the taste.
- As it’s overly sweet, adding a dash of vanilla bitters also helps round on the taste (more about that below).
- Rimming the glass with salt looks great for photos, but it kind of messes up the taste. The salt needs to be a finisher.
Terry did warn me that the Frangelico can overpower the shot and advised putting in a tad less of Frangelico and a little more of the vanilla vodka. You can play around with it the mixture until you find something you’re happy with.
If you enjoyed this type of cocktail, than you should check out the:
Tasty Amazing Cocktail: The Candy Bar
Vanilla or Bust
The hints of vanilla really pull this drink together. Don’t substitute with a standard vodka. Making your own vanilla vodka is super simple and cheaper than buying a flavored variety.
*It does need a few weeks of resting before it’s ready to drink. So, if you’re in a bind you can buy something.
We do strongly encourage to make it yourself. You’ll thank us later.
Make your own Vanilla Vodka! It’s easy!
Vanilla Infused Alcohol
There is a massive amount of amazing cocktails you can whip together with vanilla vodka. We’ll try to get some recipes up in the future.
We also mentioned using vanilla bitters, which will take a little off the edge of sweetness. Using bitters is optional, but something you should really consider. For many years it had seemed that bitters had fallen out of favor and use. That’s all changed with the rise of artisan cocktails. Bitters are becoming more prevalent, with more varieties to choose from and a seemly stronger focus on quality.
At the moment I keep 6 different types of bitters in my home bar, and the vanilla is near the top of the rotation.
Unfortunately bitters can be a little on the expensive end. Keep in mind that cocktails only call for a drop or two, so unless you’re running a bar a tiny bottle will last you a good while.
I really like Bob’s Bitters and have their vanilla.
Just in case you missed our post getting your home bar up and running:
COCKTAILS; GETTING STARTED
Don’t try to understand why this shot works. It’s pretzel logic!