Chocolate Martica
At singlebarrel in San Jose last night, I was introduced to a fantastic rum and brandy cocktail called the Chocolate Martica. The reference recipe on the web appears to be the one at Bittermens, where it’s credited to Phil Ward while he was at Death + Company in NYC.
- 1 oz. aged Jamaican rum (Appleton V/X)
- 1 oz. cognac (Courvoisier VS)
- 1 oz. sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica)
- ¼ oz. maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
- 2 dashes chocolate mole bitters (Bittermens Xocolatl)
Stir and serve up in a cocktail glass.
Singlebarrel garnished this with a lemon peel slice, although I think an orange peel or a brandied cherry might serve admirably. Not having any of the brands specified in Bittermens’ take other than the Luxardo—does anyone else actually make maraschino liqueur?—my version will be using Appleton Extra, St. Remy XO, Dolin and Fee’s Chocolate Mole Bitters. (I’m tempted to add just a dash of white créme de cacao, too, but I’ll probably resist. Probably. The Martica is clearly in the same family as this El Floridita, and I can’t help but want to play around just a little.)
If your experience with chocolate drinks is chocolate “martinis”—or worse, TGI Fridays-esque alcoholic milkshakes—a drink like this (or the El Floridita) is a revelation. This is not a dessert drink, not a way to get yourself blitzed without tasting the alcohol. Like both the Manhattan and the Cuban rum cocktails it calls back to, this is sophistication in a glass.
