My first recipe called for a whole coconut. I had never cracked a coconut before. This did not go well. I’m positive this is NOT how it should look when you “tap it with a hammer along the equator and pry it apart with your hands.” (Sounds simple, right?) This is the result of whacking away at it with a hammer (both sides of the hammer!) like a mad woman and then struggling to pry it open further and failing. I don’t even want to admit the amount of time it took me to get this little coconut into pieces in a jar. (Hour and a half, maybe two. Yikes!)

CHOCOLATE COCONUT LIQUEUR

750 mL vodka
1 whole coconut
1 cup cacao nibs

The inspiration for this one is Zico’s Dark Chocolate Coconut Water. I crave that stuff day and night, it’s a little ridiculous.

The plan for this is to let it steep for 8 days. Then, I’ll make a simple syrup with vanilla and add it to taste. Excited for this one!

CHOCOLATE CHAI LIQUEUR 

750 mL vodka
6 tbspn chai tea
1 cup cacao nibs
2 cinnamon sticks

I realized I made a mistake right after I poured the vodka into this jar. Tea isn’t supposed to steep for very long but the cinnamon and cocoa nibs need more time. So, after a day I strained the mixture through a coffee filter and added new cinnamon and nibs.

In a week I’m going to split it up and try a few different creme liqueur versions – testing out heavy cream/milk with simple syrup, sweetened condensed milk and dulce de leche to see which works best.

CHOCOLATE JALAPENO TEQUILA 

375 mL silver tequila
2/3 cup cacao nibs
1 jalapeno

This one gets a lot of funny faces. It’s admittedly a little strange but I have high hopes for it. I got the idea when I discovered Tanteo’s “Cocoa” tequila. I’ve never tried it but it gave me hope that it could be great! They also have a “Jalapeno” flavor… so I added that too. I may have gone too far with that part. We’ll see. If all goes as planned this will make a legendary Mexican Coffee Cocktail.

With these, I now have five spirits in the holding chamber (my closet). A little more time, some final tweaks and I’ll deliver the (hopefully good) results along with some fantastic food and drink recipes for them!