After celebrating my brother Jonathan’s birthday, I was stuffed with some fine food. He had requested Chinese for his dinner and my mum whipped up some deep-fried pork in plum sauce served with grilled asparagus and zuchini, vegetable stir-fry (water chestnuts, pineapple, mushrooms, carrots, ginger root…) and the ever-important steamed white rice.
She accompanied these fine dishes with a couple of rosés from Provence which were rather dry and fruity and served to cut all of that saucy grease quite nicely. Afterwards, we had a couple of tart Grand Cosmos (I went overboard and squeezed in a couple ounces of lime juice but it worked out alright) and then I went home.
While I was in no mood to party, I was definitely in need of something a little sweeter and my roommate, Mike and his friend proved the perfect foil for me to experiment.
I took a bottle of Bottega’s Gianduia Cioccolato e Grappa (500 mL, 17% ABV, $29.95) I’d been gifted from my friend Alex and added a little Frangelico. To finish it off, I layered a splash of 18% whipped cream I had lying around in the fridge and added a light dusting of cinamon. The results were pretty damn good.
The first thing to hit your tongue is the cinamon but before that even has time to fully register, the cream coats your mouth, followed by the gentle warmth of the Frangelico and the rich grappa. It’s not half as sweet as it sounds nor does it leave a nasty dairy aftertaste. I’ve already three and I may just have a fourth…
LONG KISS GOODNIGHT
1/4 oz Gianduia Cioccolato e Grappa
1/4 oz Frangelico
1/4 oz 18% whipped cream
cinamon powder
Layer the grappa, the Frangelico and the whipped cream in that order in a stemmed shot glass.
Sprinkle a light dusting of cinamon on top.
Yes, I’m aware that a cocktail with that name already exists. This is my version. If you want a bit more of a kick, feel free to add some whiskey. I like Centennial but I’d imagine that pretty much anything would do.
While not as aesthetically stark as crème de cacao, I’d also wager this would make a helluva decadent chocolate martini.
(A little internet research also told me that this particular chocolate grappa is made with not only those two ingredients but also milk, cream and hazelnuts which, minus the cinamon, is what I mixed with it but I still say it adds so much more to the liqueur than just drinking it straight.)
