Stir up a wicked-good Cherry Chocolate Cauldron tonight. (Photo courtesy of Dewar’s)
Should the kids get all the treats on Halloween? You know the answer.
After all the little goblins have had their sugar crash and are tucked away with visions of spiders dancing in their heads, it’s time for a little liquid mischief for the grown-up ghouls.
As its officially brown spirits season, this dessert-y riff on a classic Boulevardier (basically, a Negroni with whisky) with the added allure of a couple dashes of chocolate bitters and hit of cherry juice to gently play up the sweeter side of of this bitter-sweet-savory cocktail.
Dewar’s? You can find that pretty much anywhere, so if it’s not already on your home bar your favorite local spirits purveyor should offer it in a multitude of sizes. But chocolate bitters might make you think you need to search for a needle in a graveyard. Race Lane Wine & Liquors in East Hampton comes to the rescue here.
Trick or treat yourself, friends.
Cherry Chocolate Cauldron
- 1 1/2 oz Dewar's Scotch
- 3/4 oz Martini & Rossi Rubino
- 3/4 oz Martini & Rossi Bitter
- 1 oz cherry juice (high-quality, please!)
- 2 – 3 dashes chocolate bitters
In a mixing glass with ice, combine all liquid ingredients.
Stir until well-chilled, about 10 to 15 seconds.
Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an Amarena Fabbri or Luxardo maraschino cherry. Boo!
Amy Zavatto is the Editor-in-Chief for southforker, northforker and Long Island Wine Press. She's a wine, spirits, and food journalist whose work appears in Wine Enthusiast, InsideHook.com, MarthaStewart.com, the New York Post, Liquor.com, SevenFifty Daily, Imbibe, Men’s Journal and many others. She's the author of The Big Book of Bourbon Cocktails, Prosecco Made Me Do It: 60 Seriously Sparkling Cocktails, Forager’s Cocktails: Botanical Mixology with Fresh, Natural Ingredients, and The Architecture of the Cocktail. She is a respected judge for the American Craft Spirits Association’s annual small-production spirits competition, and has moderated numerous panels on the topics of wine, spirits, cocktails, and regional foodways. She is the former Deputy Editor for the regional celebratory publications, Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn, as well as the former Executive Director of the Long Island Merlot Alliance. She is a member of the New York chapter of the international organization of women leaders in food, wine, and spirits, Les Dames d’Escoffier. The proud daughter of a butcher, Amy is originally from Shelter Island, N.Y., where she developed a deep respect for the East End’s natural beauty and the importance of preserving and celebrating it and its people.
