chocolate covered strawberry bourbon smash
This is me serenading you for Valentine’s Day.
Happy Friday, kids. I’m embracing love month over here, preliminarily I suppose, and deep diving into all things red and pink, with a side of cozy more often than not, of course. The weather’s still chilly but those beautiful triangular fruits we call strawberries are slowly trickling into the grocery store. I can already taste a pretty defined difference in their sweetness level.
Maybe that’ll give you a bit of hope in the dark, deep winter we’re in. Or, if you’re like me, grant you a nice alternative to the 1000 apples you’ve consumed since September.
This Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smash is a vivid and gorgeous drink to share on Valentine’s or Galentine’s. It’s supremely easy and festive, naturally colored with fresh strawberry puree and finished with a cute chocolate-covered strawberry for a special treat once the drink itself is slurped down.
Strawberry Shortcake, Banana Split…
This drink sure don’t taste like shit.
Sorry, my middle school softball-playing days resurfaced there for a second.
Start off with prepping your chocolate strawberries and, on the same vein, the chocolate rim for your drink. These both are, of course, optional, but highly recommended.
Melt some dark chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring glass for 1 minute, stir, then continue heating in increments until totally smooth. Grab a few strawberries and dunk into the chocolate. Let excess drip off and place the berries onto a little plate or a piece of parchment.
Next, dip the rim of your cocktail glass into the remaining chocolate and swirl to coat. I like to swirl the chocolate onto the glass with my finger to make nice little ripple patterns.
Third step: puree some strawberries. You can also smash them into the bottom of your glass, but I like a little smoother incorporation so I like to give a good handful a blitz in the food processor.
Now it’s time to make the drink!
In your beautifully-rimmed glass, stir some of your strawberry puree with bourbon, chocolate bitters, and a splash of simple syrup. Add ice, then top off with strawberry sparkling water (or don’t! I enjoy a lil effervescence on my bourbon smashes, though). Poke one of your strawberries through a cocktail pick and set on top. Take a nice photo, then go bottoms up and enjoy!
FYI, leftover strawberry puree will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Hope your weekend is full of care and love. Until Monday, pals!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Smash dat:
chocolate covered strawberry bourbon smash
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2-3 fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 3-4 dashes chocolate bitters
- strawberry-flavored sparkling water, to top
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of the strawberries to a food processor or high speed blender and blitz until smooth. If desired, strain out the pulpy fiber. This will make enough for about 2 cocktails – any leftover can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Heat 1 minute, stir, then heat an additional 20-30 seconds until fully melted.
- Dip the strawberries into the chocolate, let excess drip off, and set onto a small plate or a piece of parchment. They will harden pretty quickly! Then, grab your favorite cocktail glass. Swirl the rim into the chocolate until coated. Gently shake off excess.
- In the glass, stir together the bourbon, 3 oz of strawberry puree, the simple syrup, and bitters. Fill the glass with ice and top with sparkling water, if desired. Poke one of the chocolate strawberries through a cocktail pick and lay across the top of the glass. Enjoy!
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