PR Dark Creme de Cacao Liqueur Essence 20 ml

PR Dark Creme de Cacao Liqueur Essence 20 ml

Behind every well-stocked bar there is a bottle of dark cacao liqueur, often standing a little out of the limelight but always called for when dessert cocktails are on the cards. It is the bar's chocolate larder: the ingredient that gives a Brandy Alexander its velvety depth and turns a simple coffee drink into something people remember. Dark Creme de Cacao is exactly that liqueur – dark, roasted and serious, with the cocoa bean rather than the chocolate bar in the leading role.

The difference from an ordinary chocolate liqueur is easy to spot. The flavour here is drier in expression, more cocoa powder and dark cooking chocolate than milk chocolate and toffee, which means it lifts the other ingredients instead of drowning them. That is precisely why bartenders have stayed loyal to this style for more than a hundred years, and precisely why it deserves a place in your drinks cabinet.

Colour & Appearance

Once mixed, the liqueur is a deep dark brown, like strong coffee or melted dark chocolate, with warm chestnut-red glints when the light falls through the glass. The sugar gives it a soft, syrupy texture that runs slowly down the side.

Nose

The nose is like opening a tin of really good cocoa. Roasted cocoa beans and dark chocolate come first, followed by vanilla pod and a discreet note of coffee and burnt sugar. Deep down there is a hint of something nutty and gently spicy, like cocoa nibs and a pinch of cinnamon.

Palate

The palate opens sweet and round but is quickly given backbone by the light bitterness of roasted cocoa. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder dominate the middle, softly framed by vanilla, while a small coffee note adds depth and a grown-up edge. The sweetness is clear – this is a liqueur, after all – but it is balanced by the roasted character, so the whole never turns cloying. The mouthfeel is smooth and full, almost like a cold mouthful of drinking chocolate with some strength behind it.

Finish

The finish is long and warm, with dark chocolate, vanilla and a dry, pleasantly roasted close. The cocoa lingers on the palate just as it does after a square of fine dark chocolate.

How to Use

The essence is mixed with vodka or neutral spirit and sugar. 20 ml makes 750 ml of finished liqueur. Instructions are on the label.

Serving Suggestions

• In a Brandy Alexander with brandy and cream, topped with grated nutmeg.
• In a brown take on the Grasshopper with mint liqueur and cream.
• A splash in your evening coffee, ideally with lightly whipped cream on top.
• With vodka and a dash of cream over ice for a quick dessert drink.
• Drizzled over vanilla ice cream or used to flavour a chocolate mousse.

About the Essence

Dark Creme de Cacao belongs to the PR (Prestige) series and is the dark, roasted member of our cacao family. If you want the same cocoa flavour without the colour there is White Cacao, and if you are after something sweeter and more milk-chocolatey there is our chocolate liqueur.

With a bottle of dark cacao liqueur at home, a whole genre of classic dessert cocktails opens up, and you no longer need to buy an expensive shop bottle for the few centilitres each recipe asks for. The essence is also available in 25 litres for professional production.