Liqueurs

Chocolate Liqueur

Chocolate liqueur is a sweetened spirit that tastes of chocolate, often made with milk or cream, usually around 15 to 17% ABV; our units take 17%. It is thicker and weaker than crème de cacao, and many chocolate liqueurs contain milk; check the label. Its recipe here is the Chocolate Martini: 30ml shaken hard with 45ml of vodka and 15ml of single cream.

Quick Facts

ABV17% ABVBottlings run about 15 to 24%.

Legal categoryLiqueurA liqueur: 15% ABV or more, with 100g of sugar a litre or more

Flavour Strengthmedium bold

Our keeping timeYears unopened. Once opened, spirit-based bottles a year or more; cream-based bottles to the producer’s date.

Storage

We keep it upright, cap on, out of the light, and keep cream-based bottles in the fridge once opened where the label says to.

Allergens

Contains: milk. Many chocolate liqueurs contain milk; check the label.

The ingredient

About Chocolate Liqueur

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

ChocolateCreamVanilla

Tasting Notes

Sweet chocolate with vanilla, rounder and heavier than crème de cacao.

Chocolate, sugar and often milk

Chocolate liqueur is chocolate or cocoa steeped in spirit, sweetened, and in many bottles thickened with milk or cream. It sits around 15 to 17% ABV, the low end for a liqueur, which needs 15% and 100g of sugar a litre in UK law. Mozart Dark Chocolate, from Austria, is 17% on LWC’s listing.

It runs thicker and weaker than crème de cacao

The neighbour it is confused with is crème de cacao, a thinner cacao liqueur at 20 to 25%, with a 250g-a-litre sugar minimum, and usually dairy-free. Recipes in the Alexander family want the crème; dessert drinks and a straight pour over ice suit the chocolate liqueur. Swapping one for the other changes texture and strength more than flavour.

Three bottles in a Chocolate Martini (45ml vodka, 30ml liqueur)

Dark chocolate liqueur (ours)

ABV: 17%
Milk: Often
UK units: About 2.3
In the glass: Cocoa, rounded by the 15ml of cream

Dark crème de cacao

ABV: About 24%
Milk: Rarely
UK units: About 2.5
In the glass: Thinner and sharper

Chocolate cream liqueur

ABV: About 16 to 17%
Milk: Yes
UK units: About 2.3
In the glass: Doubles the dairy; thick and sweet

Liqueur	ABV	Milk	UK units	In the glass
Dark chocolate liqueur (ours)	17%	Often	About 2.3	Cocoa, rounded by the 15ml of cream
Dark crème de cacao	About 24%	Rarely	About 2.5	Thinner and sharper
Chocolate cream liqueur	About 16 to 17%	Yes	About 2.3	Doubles the dairy; thick and sweet

The Chocolate Martini is built on it

Our Chocolate Martini shakes 45ml of vodka, 30ml of dark chocolate liqueur and 15ml of single cream hard for 10 to 12 seconds, double strains it into a frozen martini glass and finishes it with shaved dark chocolate. The cold keeps the sugar in check, and with no citrus in the glass even a cream-based bottle holds together.

Cream-based bottles need more care

A spirit-based chocolate liqueur keeps at room temperature like any sugar-heavy bottle. In our experience a cream-based one carries a real date and, on some labels, an instruction to refrigerate once opened. Check which kind you have before storing it, and check for milk before serving it to anyone with an allergy.

Using it

Using Chocolate Liqueur

Usage

Shaken at 30ml with 45ml of vodka and 15ml of single cream for a Chocolate Martini, served in a frozen glass. Otherwise it is poured over ice or into hot coffee. Keep citrus out of anything made with a cream-based bottle, which curdles.

Pro Tip

For the Chocolate Martini, a dark chocolate liqueur or dark crème de cacao keeps the cocoa in front. A cream liqueur on top of 15ml of cream turns the drink to milkshake.

Top Tips

Freeze the martini glass first. Chocolate liqueur tastes cleaner very cold and cloying when warm.
Read the label for milk before making a drink for anyone with an allergy.
We keep a cream-based bottle in the fridge once opened if the label says so, and keep to its date.
Use one source of dairy. With cream in the recipe, choose a dark liqueur over a cream one.

Possible Substitutions

Crème de Cacao: Thinner, stronger and usually dairy-free: a sharper drink
Chocolate Syrup: With a little extra vodka: sweetness and cocoa, no liqueur

Production Method

Chocolate or cocoa steeped in spirit and sweetened, often with vanilla and, in many bottles, milk or cream. Mozart Dark Chocolate, from Austria, is 17% on LWC’s listing.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is chocolate liqueur?

A liqueur flavoured with chocolate or cocoa, usually with vanilla and often with milk or cream, at around 15 to 17% ABV. Under Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 it is a liqueur, so it must be 15% ABV or more with 100g or more of sugar in each litre. Mozart Dark Chocolate, from Austria, is 17% on LWC’s listing.

Is chocolate liqueur the same as crème de cacao?

No. Crème de cacao is a thinner cacao liqueur at 20 to 25%, clear or brown, made for mixing and usually dairy-free. Chocolate liqueur is thicker, around 17%, and often contains milk. Our Chocolate Martini accepts either a dark chocolate liqueur or dark crème de cacao.

How strong is chocolate liqueur?

Usually 15 to 17% ABV, with some bottles stronger; our recipe units take 17%. At that strength the 30ml in a Chocolate Martini adds about 0.5 UK units to the 1.8 from 45ml of vodka, about 2.3 in all.

Does chocolate liqueur contain dairy?

Many chocolate liqueurs contain milk; check the label. Cream-based liqueurs contain milk, since cream is milk. A few spirit-based bottles are dairy-free. The label is the only way to know, so check it for anyone avoiding milk.

Does chocolate liqueur need refrigerating once opened?

A cream-based bottle may: follow its label and its date. A spirit-based bottle with no cream keeps at room temperature for a year or more, though it pours and tastes better cold. Either way, keep it sealed and in the dark.

Why does chocolate liqueur curdle in a drink?

A cream-based bottle meets acid. Lemon, lime and sharp fruit juices set the milk proteins into curds at once. Keep cream-based chocolate liqueurs to drinks of spirit, coffee or cream, which is why the Chocolate Martini has no citrus in it.

What can I use instead of chocolate liqueur?

Dark crème de cacao, which our Chocolate Martini accepts as an equal swap: stronger, thinner and sharper in the glass. Without either, chocolate syrup with a little more vodka gives cocoa and sweetness, though the drink loses some body.

Sources.

Correct as of 16 October 2026.

legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (retained)”.
LWC, “Mozart Dark Chocolate Liqueur 50cl” (UK wholesaler’s listing (17%; Austria)).

Make something

Made with Chocolate Liqueur

Featured In These Cocktails

Chocolate Martini

Often Used With

Crème de Cacao

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 17 October 2026

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