Chocolate Cherry Martini

More About This Recipe

• One of my fondest and most clear memories of the holidays during my childhood are those boxes of chocolate-covered cherries. I’m sure you’ve seen them. They are small cherries, surrounded by chocolate, filled with some sort of thick syrup that sends children into instant sugar-hyper-mode. As a child, I would eat a box in one sitting and then not sleep for two days. Now that I’m an adult, I prefer to take in those flavors in a slightly different form: Booze. This chocolate-covered cherry martini tastes almost exactly like those childhood chocolates, but it’s also potent enough to lead to a very jolly adult Christmas. Before we get to the martini, which is pretty straightforward to make, I wanted to also make my own chocolate covered cherries as a garnish. You could definitely use the store-bought ones, but these aren’t quite as sweet and are slightly more grown up. One of the most important things about making a good martini is ensuring that your glass is nice and cold. A lot of heat can transfer from a warm glass, and your drink will warm up a lot faster if you don’t chill it. If you have fridge space, you can definitely store the glasses for a bit to chill them down, but I also add some ice water to my martini glass as I make the martini to help chill the glass down really quickly. The color on this drink is outstanding, and serving it with a few chocolate covered cherries makes it a real treat. One thing I probably don’t have to tell you is that this guy, while fun, is pretty potent. Have one or two of these, and you should probably find yourself a designated driver!