Chocolate Cherry ‘Mocktini’ with Wild Cherry Bark

Out of all the chocolate-covered fruit confectioneries, cherry cordials (a.k.a. chocolate-covered maraschino cherries) fall to the bottom of my sweet tooth cravings barrel. Now, I know that starting by proclaiming my distaste for the very treat this recipe is inspired by may sound counterintuitive, but trust me when I say it has nothing to do with chocolate or cherries! My gripe with cherry cordials has much more to do with the artificial, rather cloying qualities of maraschino cherries. With the heavy pour of corn syrup, artificial cherry flavoring, and Red 40 dye, it is hard to believe that there were once real cherries buried beneath all that unnecessary chemical nonsense.

With all that said, dunking a tart, fresh cherry in a bath of rich, dark chocolate is truly a gourmet experience for the tastebuds. Since we’re well underway into our Monday Mocktails series in celebration of Dry January, I’ve crafted a dark chocolate cherry “mocktini” that emulates all of the decadent notes of cherry cordials while omitting the cough-syrupy artificial flavor for “sniffle season” supportive wild cherry bark. Although wild cherry bark may not add to the overall cherry flavor of this recipe, incorporating this reddish-brown bark allows you to not only sip on the delicious fruit of the cherry tree but also gain all of its winter-wellness benefits.

If you haven’t put two-and-two together yet, a “mocktini” is the mocktail version of a martini (shocking, I know). Although this gourmet mocktail may be absent of the classical martini spirits, such as gin and vermouth, I firmly believe that anything can be a martini if enjoyed in a tall martini glass. So, grab some fresh, juicy cherries and close that box of sad, syrupy cherry cordials to open yourself up to the world of plant-powered natural decadence with this dark chocolate cherry ‘mocktini’!

Chocolate Cherry Syrup with Wild Cherry Bark Recipe

Makes approximately 16 ounce syrup.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Fair for Life & organic roasted cacao powder
• 2 Tbs. organic wild cherry bark
• 1 cup organic cherries
• 1 cup organic granulated cane sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract *See Pro Tips
• 1/2 tsp. espresso powder (Mycobrew Coffee works fabulously!)
• 1 1/2 cups water

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine cacao powder, wild cherry bark, pitted and chopped cherries, sugar, vanilla extract, and espresso powder.
2. Add water and whisk over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle boil.
3. Stirring constantly, turn heat to med-low and simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove syrup from heat and allow to cool completely before straining.
5. Using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth, strain out the solid bits into container of choice.
6. Label, date, and store in the refrigerator or up to 1 month.
   
   

Chocolate Cherry ‘Mocktini’ Recipe

Makes approximately one 8 ounce mocktail.

Ingredients

• 2 oz. prepared chocolate cherry syrup (see above)
• 1 oz. organic black cherry juice
• 4 oz. milk or cream of choice *See Pro Tips
• Handful of ice
• Dark chocolate shavings (optional garnish)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and give it a good few shakes for 10 - 15 seconds.
2. Pour mixture into martini glass or glass or choice and add optional dark chocoloate shavings. Cheers!

Pro Tips

• Most commercial and homemade vanilla extracts contain alcohol as a solvent. Although the amount of alcohol from vanilla extract would be very minimal, if you prefer to avoid alcohol entirely, our Organic Vanilla Bean Powder would work great too.
• I used extra-creamy oat milk for this recipe, but other dairy or non-dairy alternatives would work just fine. However, I wouldn’t recommend using coconut milk, as the coconut flavor would be too forward.

Want to try out another Dry January Mocktail Mondays recipes?

Check out our Orange Cream Slushie Mocktail Recipe!

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