The other day I was doing a press review of The Ivy Kensington’s limited edition festive cocktails (it’s a hard life!). One of the cocktails I tried was called "Nuts About Chocolate", with a vaguely cryptic ingredient list of vodka, Baileys, dark chocolate, macadamia, marshmallow and cream. It was utterly decadent, a chocolatey, creamy feast without being overly cloying. I immediately knew I had to try and make it for myself.
Having no idea how to translate "macadamia", and "marshmallow" into reasonable cocktail ingredients, I experimented until I had my own interpretation. The same Baileys, vodka and cream base, with a dash of chocolate liqueur and a marshmallow garnish. The macadamia got nixed - if anyone has suggestions for how to include it, please leave a comment!
I hope you enjoy this Baileys Christmas cocktail, the perfect dessert drink for movie night on Christmas day. I've already made it for my family this festive season with a hazelnut twist and it went down a treat - it's rare to get everyone to agree on something, but they all loved it!
How to Make the Baileys Christmas Cocktail
This is a fairly easy cocktail to make, as cocktails go. I started by slowly melting white marshmallows on the hob on a low heat. Make sure to keep stirring to ensure it doesn't stick or burn, as it can do quite quickly. Once it's molten, I poured it into a shallow dish and dipped the glasses in to create a marshmallow rim. Save a couple of marshmallows aside for garnish at the end!
I then added vodka, baileys, cream, chocolate liqueur and marshmallow syrup to a shaker with ice. The chocolate liqueur and marshmallow syrup are optional as they're not the easiest to source. I'd recommend subbing them out with any flavour you'd rather - see notes for other suggestions. I've also made it with hazelnut syrup and it was delicious! It then needs a vigorous shake to mix all the ingredients nicely - I usually shake for about 20-30 seconds until the exterior is frosted.
Once it's thoroughly shaken up, I strained it into the glasses, and topped with lighted toasted marshmallows on a toothpick. So good!
Cocktail Ingredients
Baileys Christmas Cocktail
Ingredients
- 3 oz Vodka
- 4 oz Baileys
- 5 oz double (heavy) cream
- 1 oz Chocolate Liquer see notes
- 1/2 oz marshmallow syrup see notes
- marshmallows optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Melt a handful of marshmallows over low heat until they become molten. Make sure to keep stirring so they don't stick or burn. Transfer to a shallow dish, and dip the rims of the glasses to coat.
- Add vodka, baileys, chocolate liquer, marshmallow syrup and cream to a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds, until the exterior is frosted.
- Strain into glasses.
- Lightly toast marshmallows and place on a toothpick on the rim of the glasses to garnish.
Notes
Read More: A Festive Cheese Board Recipe
