... yes, you read that correctly, chocolate cocktails are on the menu in York for Easter. MAXINE GORDON reports.

CHOCOHOLICS are in for a treat this Easter. If the Easter Bunny’s delivery doesn’t satisfy your sweet tooth, then a trip to the cocktail bar might just be the remedy. Expert mixologists from The Living Room on Bridge Street have created a limited edition menu for Easter weekend – five ‘chocktails’, cocktails made from chocolate.

The drinks feature innovative blends of white, dark, and milk chocolate flavours and spirits – but not actual melted chocolate.

York manager Annabel Snee said: “People assume chocktails will be like drinking cold hot chocolate, but we use chocolate-flavoured liqueurs. If the Easter Bunny isn’t generous, come here for chocktails instead.”

We watched Zoe Harbour on the bar prepare the five cocktails – and convinced her to share the recipes, so you can try them at home.

If you have a sweet tooth, the Cherry Chocolate Delight should hit the spot. It is the only one of the five that includes a white chocolate liqueur and when mixed with vodka, cherry and cream turns into a sinful alcoholic milkshake.

For something deeper and darker, try the Mochatini, a variation on The Living Room’s popular Chocolate Martini. This features a shot of cold espresso alongside vodka, Kahlua and chocolate liqueur and tastes like a naughty cold coffee. The espresso leaves a lovely thick crema on the top, lending a luxurious turn in the mouth.

If you like sharper tastes, shake up a Chocolate Sidecar, a tangy mix of cognac, port, lime and chocolate liqueur. Run a lime wedge around the glass first and dip into drinking chocolate to enhance the chocolate experience.


Recipes

Chocolate Orange Martini

Ingredients:
15ml Chairmans Reserve Spiced Rum
15ml Grand Marnier
30ml chocolate liqueur
75ml mix of cream and milk

Method:

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake well.

Strain the mixture into the glass.

Garnish with an orange zest.


Chocolate Sidecar

Ingredients: 
25ml Hennessy Fine Cognac
25ml chocolate liqueur
15ml Port
Juice of a whole lime
10ml sugar syrup 

Method:

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake well.

Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass, dip it in chocolate powder.

Strain mixture into glass.


Cherry Chocolate Delight

Ingredients:
25ml Cariel Vanilla Vodka
25ml White chocolate liqueur
15ml Cherry Heering
75ml milk and cream mixture

Method:

Add all ingredients into a cocktail, fill with ice and shake well.

Strain mixture into glass.

Garnish with a cherry.


Brandy Alexander

Ingredients: 
30ml Hennessy Fine Cognac
15ml chocolate liqueur
75ml milk and cream mixture

Method: 

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake well.

Strain mixture into glass.

Garnish with a dusting of ground nutmeg.


Mochatini

Ingredients: 
30ml Stolichnaya Vodka
20ml chocolate liqueur
15ml Kahlua
10ml sugar syrup
1 shot of espresso 

Method: Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake hard to create a foam from the espresso.

Strain mixture into glass. Garnish with three coffee beans on the foam.


Chocolate city

YORK becomes a Chocolate City again this Easter as the second York Chocolate Festival gets underway from Thursday, March 28 to Monday, April 1. Here’s some tasty chunks to tempt you along…

Chocolate Market
Thursday-Saturday; St Sampson’s Square and Parliament Street Stock up on treats handmade by chocolate makers still working in York today, including chocolates, fudge, cakes and brownies, as well as chocolate chilli jam, vodka and savoury chocolate food to take away.

Chocolate making
Create and decorate your own Easter egg with the York Cocoa House team based in St Sampson’s Square (Thursday to Saturday)

Easter Egg hunt
Saturday, March 30, 10am–1pm Set out from Jorvik on a city-wide quest for chocolate, solve the puzzles to visit six locations around York, with a treat at each stop! £1.50 per child (includes admission to Mansion House and Micklegate Bar Museum).

Chocolate trail
Discover the Chocolate City for yourself with a lovely spring walk. The York Chocolate Trail can be collected from Visit York, the main Chocolate Festival Tent in St Sampson’s Square as well as being available online at visityork.org/chocolate and as a download on your smartphone.

Places to visit:
York’s Chocolate Story
The King’s Square attraction will be celebrating its first birthday on Easter Sunday. Expect a day full of chocolate surprises including giant cakes, face painting and giveaways.

York Cocoa House
Watch a chocolatier at work in the house and café on Blake Street, or get involved in making your own chocolate creations, every day from 10am – 4pm. Prices from £4 per person, pre-booking is not required.

For more information about York Chocolate Festival please visit yorkchocolatefestival.co.uk