After a long week at the office, there’s nothing we love more than treating ourselves to something naughty. Whether that’s a plate of chips, a glass of Prosecco, or a slab of cheese, everyone has their own personal anecdote to the stresses of the 9-to-5 grind.
Gin, however, tends to feature pretty highly on our list – and chocolate does, too. In fact, we’d be hard-pressed to choose between the two of them if we were asked to name our favourite.
Step up to the plate (or should that be glass?), then, Xolato, who have worked tirelessly to bring us one of the wold’s first chocolate gins.
Read more: Would you eat chocolate cheese?
Chocolate. And gin. We’ll just let that sink in for a moment, shall we?
To paraphrase S Club 7, we’ve never had a dream come true ‘til the day that we found out about chocolate gin. And, yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.
X-Gin combines juniper berries with 15 herbs and spices, along with a healthy dollop of Belgian chocolate and vanilla extract.
Somewhat incredibly, it’s been based on Xocoatl, an ancient aphrodisiac recipe enjoyed by the Incas and Mayas. And the makers are convinced their drink is packed full of heady aphrodisiac properties, too, so they’ve advised you to enjoy it with caution…
Read more: The amazing health benefits of gin, revealed
Director of Xolato, Stieven Victor, told the Martini Whisperer: “We wanted to make something different from everything that was out there and were already into chocolate with our Belgian chocolate brand Xolato.
“So we decided to try if a cocoa infused gin could work. Our first thought was that it would taste horrible. We ended up with more than 20 different versions and found something really delicate and special about the final version.”
The resulting drink isn’t a liqueur, like you might expect; instead, you get something “surprisingly light on the palette”, with a “lingering spiced finish”, plenty of “hints of chilli and cacao”, and a “clear” colour.
The experts suggest pairing it with a neutral tonic, pouring it over ice, and garnishing with cacao nibs, raspberries, and cranberries.
Read more: 14 signs that gin is your one true love
Unsurprisingly, the boozy treat has proven to be incredibly popular with gin aficionados all over the world.
“We [originally] made some 50 bottles for friends and family,” explains Victor, “and ended up the next three months producing some 5.000 because we could not keep up with demand.”
You can bag yourself a bottle of X-Gin on Amazon or The Drink Shop, although it’s worth remembering that stock is selling out fast.
Read more: Deliciously boozy hot chocolate recipes
Just remember to savour it at the right moment; after all, there aren’t many alcoholic aphrodisiacs on the market. Not least of all ones which “provoke an intense feeling of pleasure”...
Bottoms up, eh?
Images: iStock
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