Cheers

Cheers

The Beverage Business Magazine for Full-Service Restaurants and Bars

  • Beverage Trends
    • Beer
    • Wine
    • Spirits
    • Wine Reviews
    • Marketing
    • Operations
  • Recipes
    • What I’m Drinking Now
    • Submit a Drink Recipe
  • Resources
    • eRNDC Login
    • SG Proof Login
    • CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees
  • Events & Awards
    • Cheers Beverage Summit
    • Growth Brands
    • BevX Awards
    • Supplier Awards
  • Podcasts
  • E-News
    • E-News Subscribe
  • Digital Issues
  • Cheers@Home

Chocolate Sidecars Add Sweet Treat To Wine And Cocktails

11/04/2016

by: Kyle Swartz

Who wouldn’t enjoy a bite of chocolate with their craft cocktail or glass of wine?

So thought New Jersey chocolatier David Little. Out for dinner one evening, he was watching fellow guests receive their cocktails. He felt that “people were experiencing the same feelings one gets when they unwrap their favorite chocolate bar.”

Little was also impressed with the bartender’s craftsmanship with garnishes, but wondered about the high level of labor involved. Composing all these thoughts onto a cocktail napkin, Little designed the Chocolate Sidecar: a 1/3-oz. chocolate disc with a notch so that it can sit on the rim of a glass.

chocolate-1-72-candycane-2x2-glass

The Chocolate Sidecar

“Upscale beverages and chocolates, both appeal to the same senses of touch, sight, smell and taste, and offer an added treat to any moment,” says Little, who officially launched the product this past July.

The Belgian-style gourmet chocolates, which retail for about $1 each, measure 1-3/8” in diameter and are 3/8” thick. They come in a variety of flavors, from the standard milk and dark chocolate, to orange, strawberry, mint, lemon, lime and jalapeno.

Designs on the candies depict the flavor, so the orange-flavored chocolate Sidecars have are imprinted with an orange fruit motif (shown above), lime show green limes, and so on. Holiday themes include mint-flavored chocolates with candy cane designs.

Advertisement

Little’s company, Chocolatetext.com, will also stamp logos and images on the candies. For example, he’s worked with Treasury Wine Estates to include its logo on Chocolate Sidecars for New Jersey wine tastings.

The different flavors provide a number of pairing opportunities: Dark chocolate pieces are a natural garnish on a glass of red wine; milk chocolate goes well with Champagne or white wines. The lime flavor works with tequila cocktails, while the orange candies complement bourbon drinks.

Customers Eating Them Up

But customers are not too picky about flavors when they get a chocolate Sidecar with their cocktail, says Melanie Minuth, general manager for Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza in Livingston, NJ. “Most of the time the garnish just goes right into the customer’s mouth,” she notes.

Minuth has tested dark and milk Chocolate Sidecars on a broad spectrum of drinks, including her Pomegranate Martinis and all of Anthony’s wines. The sidecars have proven so popular that she’s also included them on Grey Goose vodka Martinis, and with some beer pours such as pumpkin brews or pear cider.

chocolate-1-52-anthonys-2x2-dk-chocolate

Anthony’s customers seem to appreciate the chocolate bonus when it arrives on their beverages.

“We’ve found that you can really put either on whatever drink,” Minuth says. “Either way, it’s still special to the customer.”

As a beverage alcohol enthusiast, “I’m always looking for something new, that special little touch you want to see in cocktails these days,” she adds.

Anthony’s customers seem to appreciate the chocolate bonus when it arrives on their beverages.

“People are ripping them off their glasses and eating them before they even take a photo of their drink,” Minuth says. “And that’s quite uncommon these days.”

Kyle Swartz is associate editor of Cheers magazine. Reach him at kswartz@epgmediallc.com

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza Livingston anthonys coal fired pizza chocolate garnish chocolate sidecar chocolate sidecars Chocolate Text Chocolatetext.com cocktail garnishes David Little David Little chocolate sidecar david little chocolate text Melanie Minuth Melanie Minuth anthonys pizza Melanie Minuth chocolate sidecar

Last modified: 11/04/2016

Previous Story:
5 Innovative Cocktails At New York Taste 2016
Next Story:
4 New And Noteworthy Bars In San Diego

About the Author: Kyle Swartz

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Follow Us

Facebook
Twitter

In The News

  • 3 Badge Beverage Launches Kirk and Sweeney Barrel Program
  • KISS Celebrates 50th With Cold Gin Cocktail Special
  • Diageo Acquiring Don Papa Rum
  • San Francisco Cocktails Celebrate Mean Girls The Musical
  • NYC’s Mister Paradise Unveils New Menu
  • How Much Do Alcohol Consumers Care About Sustainability?
More News >>

Featured Drink

  • Red Dragon
    Red Dragon cocktail

Drink Recipes

  • A Round of Valentine’s Day Cocktails for 2023
  • Red Dragon
  • Year of the Rabbit
  • Viva Magenta Colored Cocktails
  • Winter White Sangria

Current Issue

Cheers Current Issue

Cheers Magazine

  • About Cheers
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Market Research

Events & Awards

  • Beverage Excellence Awards
  • Cheers Beverage Summit
  • Growth Brands Awards

Magazines

  • Cheers
  • Beverage Dynamics
  • StateWays
  • Beverage Wholesaler
  • Beverage Handbooks (research)

E-Newsletters

  • Better Bartending
  • Cheers
  • Beverage Dynamics
  • StateWays
  • Beverage Wholesaler
  • Beverage Universe
  • Cannabis Regulator
  • About EPG Brand Acceleration
  • Send File
  • Privacy Policy
© Cheers Magazine. All rights reserved.