Hotel Chocolat

Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 101

bring a bottle podcast episode 101

It’s Bring a Bottle Podcast Episode 101 and with us in the studio this week is Jack Charlton, traveller and lover of all things drinks who began at Café Rouge when he was 15 and is now Head of Brand Ambassadors for Remy Cointreau in the UK! There’s incredible Mount Gay rum to be sipped, odd advent calendars to be discussed, Jaffa Cake Vodka to be tried and a machine to completely transform your Hot Choc experience! Listen for all that and more!

Our Guest Drinker

jack charlton bring a bottle podcast

Jack Charlton fell in love with hospitality working at Café Rouge when he was 15, later finding his passion for drinks too and becoming Head of Brand Ambassadors for Remy Cointreau in the UK. His younger years were filled with travelling the world alongside his parents, seeing Prague, Cuba and Zimbabwe to name just a few places. You can hear some tales from these trips on the podcast! Welcome, Jack!

What’s In Our Glass?

mount gay black barrel

A delicious rum from the world’s oldest rum distillery, Mount Gay’s Black Barrel blend is distilled in traditional copper pot and column stills, matured for up to 7 years in American whiskey casks, and further aged for 6 months in heavily charred Bourbon casks. Unsurprisingly, that toasted oak comes through, as does gingerbread and the rich vanilla and pineapple you might expect from a golden Bajan rum. 

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: UK £36 // US $29.99

We’re also sipping Mount Gay’s deep, dark and brooding XO Triple Cask Blend. Sitting in a combination of American whiskey, bourbon and Cognac casks creates a beautiful balance, with a lovely underlining oakiness, notes of waxy pear and sticky toffee fig pudding. A large coconut water ice cube with this poured on top would be incredible to accentuate the coconut notes further.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: UK £54.59 // US $66.99

Advent Calendars

christmas advent calendars

We’re talking advent calendars and in particular the weirdest ones we’ve come across. Biscuits for pets? Dumplings? What would your ideal advent be, or maybe chocolate can’t be beaten?

How Can you Enjoy Hosting A Dinner Party?

how to enjoyable host a dinner party

All the stress and build up of hosting a dinner party can end up ruining the experience for the host themselves, and that can’t be right, so we’re looking at ways to avoid just that. From prepping to delegating, take these tips and hosting will become a pleasure and not a chore!

Buy it or Bin it

jaffa cake vodka

The colour of onion skin... gingery on the nose... whiffs of something very familiar, is it Terry’s chocolate orange? Almost. It’s Jaffa Cake Vodka. The Jaffa cake is bold on the nose, and much subtler on tasting so don’t worry that it’s overpowering or anything. This would sing wonderfully in an espresso martini with a Jaffa cake or two on the side.

National Hot Chocolate Day

hotel chocolat velvetiser

Hot chocolate day is just around the corner so we chat about some of the best available. Hotel Chocolat and their Velvetiser isn’t just another underwhelming kitchen gadget – it’s incredible. Listen to find out more about this dream machine!

What pairs WELL with Mount Gay rum?

mount gay food pairings

We’re thinking of indulgent mouth-watering pairings to sit beside this rum – choc, cheese, steak etc. For vegetarians, grilled crispy cabbage and anything with smokiness and umami like nutty mushroom dishes and miso would also work a treat.

This only covers the tip of the iceberg though so to hear what else we get up to, listen in today!

The Best Chocolate-themed Alcoholic Drinks

The Best Chocolate-themed Alcoholic Drinks for Easter thethreedrinker.com the three drinkers.png

Goodbye, chocolate eggs. This Easter we’re getting our cacao fix from scrummy chocolate liqueurs, spirits, no-lo drinks and choco-themed wines. Whether your bag is moreish milk, creamy white or bitter dark, read on for our list of the finest chocolatey tipples out there:

Bottle Bar and Shop Cacao Martini

The Best Chocolate-themed Alcoholic Drinks for Easter Bottle and Bar Shop thethreedrinker.com the three drinkers.png

Fancy a chocolate martini, but can’t be bothered to make it? Enter, this pre-bottled pour from Catford-based Bottle Bar & Shop. With minimal effort comes maximum taste – just chill the bottle in the freezer, pour into a frosted glass and voilà! Ready-made chocolate vodka martini, rich in silky chocolate tones, and with a balanced sweetness from pure sugar cane. For the final flourish, add a twist of orange, then serve up to a crowd of friends in awe of your newfound ‘bartending’ skills.  

Size: 500ml
ABV: 20%
Find here: UK £28.00

  

Elephant Gin Orange Cocoa Edition

The Best Chocolate-themed Alcoholic Drinks for Easter Elephant Gin thethreedrinker.com the three drinkers.png

Terry’s Chocolate Orange obsessives, mark the 26th of March in your diary – because that’s when this new gin, marrying chocolate and orange, hits the shelves. Smooth and intensely aromatic, with roasted cacao nib and orange peel notes, this London Dry is – of course – more sophisticated than the classic chocolate stocking stuffer. Besides the rare African botanicals that are always used in Elephant Gin, whole organic Spanish oranges have been vacuum distilled to produce a supremely fresh pour that celebrates fruit as much as chocolate. And if that’s not enough to convince you, 15% of profits go towards saving elephants in Africa.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £32.90

 

Hotel Chocolat Salted Caramel Chocolate Cream Liqueur

The Best Chocolate-themed Alcoholic Drinks for Easter Hotel Chocolat Liqueur thethreedrinker.com the three drinkers.png

If you’ve had Hotel Chocolat’s salted caramel chocolate before, you’ll know that it’s so good it should be X-rated. Well, this drink from the premium chocolate brand raises the bar further, combining the sea salt-flecked caramel and chocolate with vodka and cream. The result? A velvety, decadent liqueur that isn’t overly sugary, and really sings when it’s poured over ice. Hotel Chocolat jokes on its website not to drink the whole bottle in one go, which sounds ridiculous… until you taste it. Definitely not for those with weak willpower.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 15%
Find here: UK £22.00

 

Three Spirit Social Elixir

The Best Chocolate-themed Alcoholic Drinks for Easter Three Spirit thethreedrinker.com the three drinkers.png

Technically this is not a spirit – because there’s not a drop of alcohol. What it is, however, is a drinkable ‘mood elevator’, made with natural ingredients such as yerba mate, lion’s mane mushroom, damiana and cocoa nibs, which combined are meant to get you feel relaxed, chatty and sociable. Unusually for a lot of non-alcoholic spirits, this one has real weight and taste: bitter notes of cacao blend with balsamic, Worcester sauce prune flavours, and a tea-like tannin. It’s interesting served over the rocks, but a splash of premium spicy ginger beer really brings out the subtle chocolatey character.

Size: 500ml
ABV: None
Find here: UK £24.95

Coole Swan

The Best Chocolate-themed Alcoholic Drinks for Easter Coole Swan thethreedrinker.com the three drinkers.png

White chocolate lovers, we haven’t forgotten about you. Basically the Milkybar version of Baileys (shhhh – whisper it), this Irish-made cream liqueur blends single malt whiskey and Belgian white chocolate in one decadent bottle. Sweet, smooth and creamy, it’s also genuinely delicious, especially when served as you would a Bailey’s, over ice. Though we wouldn’t judge if you also drizzled this over vanilla or chocolate ice cream; poured it over a raspberry cheesecake; splashed some in your morning coffee…

Size: 700ml
ABV: 16%
Find here: UK £23.25

 

Bicerin Chocolate Liqueur

The Best Chocolate-themed Alcoholic Drinks for Easter Bicerin thethreedrinker.com the three drinkers.png

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This Italian chocolate liqueur, made in the northern Italian city of Turin, has been produced since the 19th century. And much like that iconic Italian chocolate – the Ferrero Rocher – it is a heady mix of chocolate and hazelnut (a combo known as giandujiotto). A winner for vegans as it doesn’t contain dairy, Bicerin is still thick and creamy, and flavourful. Many reserve this liqueur for chocolate martinis, but we are happy drinking it as the Ambassador himself would: simply chilled, with a pile of Rochers to hand. Look out for other versions too, such as white chocolate, chocolate orange, or – in what we call the unofficial ‘After Eight’ edition – chocolate peppermint.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 15%
Find here: UK £20.99

 

The Chocolate Block 2019, Boekenhoutskloof

The Best Chocolate-themed Alcoholic Drinks for Easter The Chocolate Block Wine thethreedrinker.com the three drinkers.png

No, it hasn’t actually got chocolate in it. But with such an evocative name, we couldn’t resist including this popular South African wine in our list. With its rich, dark berry character – all blackberries, plums and cherries – liquorice notes and smooth tannins, it kind of feels like the vinous equivalent of smooth dark chocolate. The Mediterranean varietals, including Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Cabernet Sauvignon are mostly to thank, though a wee splash of Viognier gives it lift. Just the stand-out match you need for your slap-up Easter feast.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.69%
Find here: UK £21.99 // US $29.99

For some great no-low suggestions take a look at these 6 delicious drinks and don’t forget to check out the perfect red wine to pair with roast beef!