5 Top Strategies for Pairing Whiskey & Chocolate in Confections

The right dram of whiskey sipped with a complementary square of chocolate can be an exhilarating taste sensation, with the aromas and flavors enhancing and even deepening each other. But conversely, the wrong duo can result in flavors and aromas that taste flattened, excessively bitter or syrupy sweet. 

If creating an ideal spirits and chocolate pairing is tough, imagine how challenging it is to create a chocolate infused with bourbon or whiskey. We reached out to pros who share insight into their (often quite complex) process. 

Éclat Chocolate’s Bourbon Pecan Cubes

Use Whiskey as a Spice in Confections

Incorporating alcohol and chocolate in one tasty bite can be a tricky undertaking, says certified master chef and chocolatier Christopher Curtin. But if done correctly, it can transform the flavor of both ingredients.  

Not that it’s stopped him from trying. And many, including Bon Appetit, who named his creations the Best in America, would also say he’s succeeded. Éclat Chocolate’s confections abound, but one he is inspired by is his Bourbon Pecan Cubes, his selections for Scotch lovers. Bourbon Pecan Cubes are delicious and rich deep mocha cubes brimming with nutty-caramel-praline and a kick of Bourbon sass and spice.

“Chocolate and alcohol have a wonderful, and long friendship,” Curtin says. “We experiment and develop recipes by thinking of alcohol as a kind of spice. We use to tell a story and enhance the chocolate’s natural flavors.”

Adds Curtin, “I really enjoy working with Woodford Reserve because of its distinct flavor profile,” he says. “I also love our northern Scottish whisky truffle, because the peaty notes come through. It’s inspiring to bring in new techniques and flavors that help us tease out subtler flavors in confections.” 

Infuse Cacao with Whiskey

While the easy answer to marrying good whiskey with good chocolate would seem to be simply mixing them, Tom Rogan, chocolate maker of Goodnow Farms Chocolate, says it’s not that simple. 

“Chocolatiers can just add whiskey to their confections, but because water and chocolate don’t mix, it’s more complicated,” he says. 

At Boston’s Goodnow, they soak their Esmeraldas cacao nibs in whiskey for two days, allowing the whiskey to infuse the nibs.

“Each 1,000-bar batch of our whiskey bars requires more than 10 gallons of whiskey, he explains, adding that they work with Boston Harbor Distillery Putnam Rye. “We like working with other local makers, and we tried a lot of different ones, but we found that ryes in general, and this one in particular, imparted the most interesting flavors, likely due to their higher sweetness.” The resulting Putnam Whiskey Bar is pure deep mocha, with notes of vanilla, caramel and baking spices. 

Cook out the Alcohol

Creating whiskey and chocolate confections that hit the right notes is not a simple task. Third-generation chocolatier and pastry chef René Bollier, who runs the Kansas City-based André’s Confiserie Suisse, explains that finding whiskey with subtle sweetness ensures that neither the whiskey nor the chocolate will overpower. 

“We have been incorporating whiskey into our ganache-based truffles since our inception in 1955,” Bollier says. “With all of our whiskey confections, we add the whiskey at the perfect temperature in the cooling process to ensure that a portion of the alcohol cooks out, leaving behind the beautiful whiskey flavors and just enough alcohol to impart balanced flavor and bite.”

Bollier says he ultimately chose J. Rieger’s Kansas City Whiskey, a blend of straight bourbon, light corn whiskey, and straight rye, aged for a minimum of four years, with the addition of 15-year-old Oloroso Sherry, because it’s a “well-balanced, smooth and slightly sweet. The Oloroso sherry lends notes of caramel, raisin, and nuts that meld perfectly with high-quality chocolates, especially Swiss chocolates due to their intense caramel notes.”

In 2014, Bollier partnered with multi-generational distiller J. Rieger & Co. to create Whiskey Chocolate Shots, a pure liquid whiskey inside a delicate dark chocolate shell. That launch inspired their rich, intense mocha-forward Dark Chocolate Whiskey Caramel Bar. 

Temper Chocolates's Old Fashioned Bonbon

Choose the Right Chocolate

While Denver’s Temper Chocolates finds that Bourbon and chocolate tease out more complexity and complementary depth when paired in the same bite, according to owner Mark Callahan, the right chocolate is also key. “Our goal was to create a bonbon using Maker’s Mark Bourbon specifically for the Derby,” Callahan says. 

“We experimented blending Bourbon with orange zest, simple syrup and bitters, like the classic Old Fashioned cocktail” explains Callahan, but the chocolate has to land squarely in the milk category. He goes on to explain, “We tried different grades of chocolate, but we found the dark chocolate added notes of bitterness, whereas the milk chocolate complimented the bourbon and orange flavors, and allowed them to be more pronounced. As a final touch, and inspired by Southern hospitality, we crushed praline pecans and added them to the mix.”

Choose the Right Whiskey

Different types of chocolate pair differently with different whiskeys. We reached out to Gabrielle Draper, a chef in the Barry Callebaut’s Chicago’s R&D group to better understand how to pair different chocolates with 2022 NY International Spirits Competitions winners. 

Barry Callebaut headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, is the world’s biggest manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa and it is estimated that their chocolate is in 1 out of every 4 pieces of chocolate consumed worldwide. The company has more than 60 production facilities across the world and is primarily B2B. 

White Chocolate & Jefferson’s Very Small Batch Bourbon

“The delicious sweetness of white chocolate pairs well with many bourbons.  One with a little bit of fruitiness in the aroma and taste will pair great.  Experience your white chocolate with Jefferson’s Very Small Batch Bourbon.” Jefferson’s Very Small Batch Bourbon was a Gold winner in the 2022 NY International Spirits Competition. 

Milk Chocolate & Angel’s Envy Bourbon Whiskey

“Milk chocolate tends to have a balanced sweetness with dairy, caramel and brown fruit notes that come through,” Draper says. “With milk chocolate, a little bitterness and nuttiness for aroma and taste pairings, never go amiss.  A good recommendation for bourbon to pair with traditional milk chocolate is the Angel’s Envy Bourbon Whiskey.” Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels was a Gold winner in the 2022 NY International Spirits Competition. 

Dark Milk Chocolate & Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

“Many dark milk chocolates have a hint of caramel taste to them with a slight bitterness ending in a smooth creaminess,” Draper explains. “A little bit of smokiness and brown fruit in a bourbon such as Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey will be a pairing for dark milk chocolate that you won’t soon forget.” Another Basil Hayden whiskey to ry? Basil Hayden Toast Bourbon was a Gold winner in the 2020 NY International Spirit Competition.