Should Chocolate Cocktails Be Shaken Or Stirred?

Chocolate isn't just the world's favorite dessert ingredient, but an increasingly popular mixer or infusion for cocktails. To that effect, we've come up with 30 chocolate cocktails you need to try. With such a diverse list of chocolate cocktails comes the question of execution. If you're wondering whether chocolate cocktails should be shaken or stirred, the answer is: It depends! Tasting Table interviewed expert mixologist Lynnette Marrero, a participant in New York Bartender Week, who gives insight on which choc-tails should be shaken and which should be stirred.

"It depends on the form you are using," she says. "If using a cream based liqueur you would shake or build the cocktail to incorporate. Also shake when the cocktail includes cream, milk, or egg white for proper aeration and emulsification." Aeration refers to the air bubbles introduced during agitation that impart a foamy top and frothy volume to a milk or cream-based cocktail. Emulsification, or thorough mixing, is also important for dairy-based cocktails because you want an even distribution of milk and no separation for the creamiest consistency. Of course, we also think that a cocktail shaker is a must when making a chocolate martini so that the heavy chocolate sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of a martini glass. If you don't own a shaker, this may be your sign to invest in something like this stainless steel bar set that comes with measuring cup, stirrer, and shaker.

Marrero then discusses the cocktails that would benefit from stirring, saying, "If I am using a cacao nib infused spirit or liqueur with spirit-forward cocktails like chocolate-infused Manhattans or Old Fashioneds I stir to maintain clarity and texture."

As Lynnette Marrero points out, whether you shake or stir your chocolate cocktail depends on the ingredients you use — largely the presence of dairy or egg. Chocolate liqueurs aren't necessarily cream-based, as evidenced by our list of 7 chocolate liqueurs. Popular brands like Baileys Chocolate Liqueur (which came top in our ranked list) offer a cream-based drink, as do many white chocolate liqueurs, but plenty of other chocolate liqueurs are made by infusing high proof alcohol with sugar, cacao, and often spices. 

Some chocolatey cocktails use non-alcoholic chocolate ingredients like chocolate milk, chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, and even melted chocolate bars. All of these ingredients need to be thrown in a cocktail shaker.

For spirit-forward stirred cocktails, chocolate or cocoa bitters, like the kind you would use in a chocolate Manhattan or a chocolate old fashioned are used; these don't include dairy. Instead, they balance the sweetness of other ingredients while packing a powerful rich chocolatey finish. Chocolate-infused alcohol (like vodka) is widely sold and often contains sweetener to bring out the flavors from the infusion. It's also simple enough to infuse other spirits like bourbon or mezcal with chocolate by combining the spirit with cacao nibs and letting the mixture sit for up to a week. If you're struggling to source cacao nibs, they're widely available online, like these Fair Trade Navitas Organics nibs, selling for under $7 per four-ounce bag.