I knew this would be a big hit in my household. My husband is both a chocolate lover and bourbon lover, so the combination seemed perfect.
How do you infuse alcohol with chocolate? You need to get your hands on some cocoa nibs. Cocoa nibs are easier to find than you might think. In Portland, we are fortunate to have some amazing chocolate shops. I picked up these organic, Madagascar cocoa nibs at Cacao. Their website says that they accept orders by phone or email, but they do not currently have online shopping. Also in Portland (and NYC), cocoa nibs can be found at The Meadow. The Meadow carries Valhrona cocoa nibs, and does have online shopping. Try some of the finer chocolate shops in your town to see if they carry them. (If all else fails, they can be found on Amazon.)
Chocolate Bourbon
2 c. bourbon
1/2 c. cocoa nibs
One-inch piece of vanilla bean, split
Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or vessel. Infuse for approximately 3 weeks, or until it reaches your desired taste. Strain & filter. Enjoy, sip, and savor…
The final product is very a rich chocolate color. After three weeks of infusing, this tasted strongly of chocolate, but did not overpower the bourbon.
This is delicious!
If you are not a bourbon fan, try substituting brandy for the bourbon. In the coming months, I’m sure we will feature several more cocoa nib infusions and cocktails.
If you love chocolate, give this a try!
Boozed + Infused 
March 11, 2012 at 12:55 pm
you are driving me crazy with all this yummy chocolate stuff.
March 11, 2012 at 12:57 pm
ha ha! I knew this would get to the chocoholics!
March 12, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Any particular kind of bourbon you’d recommend?
(Should it be a high quality bourbon?)
March 12, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Most infusions are great with a middle of the road spirit. I do most of my bourbon infusions with Jim Beam, and they turn out delicious! You can always feel free to infuse with something nicer, and you may get a marginally better product. But typically, the infusion will mask some of the qualities from the higher quality spirit, so it turns out being a little bit of a waste.
Hope that helps!
March 12, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Definitely, thanks!
March 9, 2014 at 8:12 pm
Finally coming back to this recipe again. Last time around I mixed it with cold black cherry juice and topped with whipped cream–it was great! I think some of the oils from the cacao came out of solution and formed what looked like an emulsion when I added the juice, it gave a super creamy texture to the cocktail. Jim Beam was definitely a good choice. Thanks!
March 10, 2014 at 8:49 pm
That sounds so amazing! Wish I had one right now…
March 18, 2012 at 11:12 am
Reblogged this on a hospitable brand. and commented:
So simple and wonderful.
March 24, 2012 at 8:21 am
Glad you liked it! Thanks for the reblog!
March 23, 2012 at 3:22 pm
This sounds fantastic! Where was this post a month ago. 🙂 It would have been a perfect after dinner drink to the chocolate dinner I had. Next time for sure, not that it will be difficult to find a good reason to make chocolate infused bourbon.
March 24, 2012 at 8:22 am
Chocolate dinner sounds amazing. Yes, you should try this one. It just takes some patience… That’s the hardest part. There are also some chocolate port wines that might be good with your dinner too.
April 4, 2012 at 4:26 am
I have chocolate nibs in the pantry! I will have to give this a try. It would make a great gift!!
April 4, 2012 at 7:23 am
great! Hope you like it!
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August 11, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Ladies of Boozed and Infused,
I just cracked open the chocolate bourbon bottle last night and – after filtering – had my girlfriend all smiles with a delicious Chocolate Bourbon Ball that was a desserty treat. I have to warn that it was certainly sweet, so I would stick to having this as the after dinner drink, but 3 oz Chocolate Bourbon; 2.5-3 oz Creme de Cacao (white); and 2 oz Frangelico tasted like a dark chocolate cake. Basically, if she’s ever mad at me, I’ll make this drink as a peace offering!
Afterwards, we made a traditional Bourbon Ball for comparison and it didn’t even hold a candle to the deliciousness of the CBB. In any event, love your site and a bunch of us are planning an infusion party with booze from your site. Thanks for the inspiration!
August 11, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Todd, So glad that you enjoyed the Chocolate Bourbon! Your cocktail sounds delicious, and that is perfect that your girlfriend loved it. I hope you will continue infusing and look forward to hearing what you make next! Cheers
September 4, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Just found this article and your blog. I actually have come Cacao nibs in the pantry that I need to use and I was looking exactly for a recipe like this! Turns out I have a blog with a similar theme to yours, so you may find that I end up blogging about your article and recipe on my site.
September 10, 2012 at 8:03 pm
Hi Rusty, thanks for finding us! I have checked our pureliqueur.com before, actually! Hope you enjoy the recipe. Try the raspberry-chocolate vodka, also made with cacao nibs. It is amazing.
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December 23, 2012 at 10:08 am
Just made this for my dad for Christmas! I found cacao nibs in the baking aisle of Whole Foods here in Portland, too…nice and convenient. 🙂
January 3, 2013 at 6:22 pm
Awesome! Seems like cocoa nibs are all over town! I hope your dad liked his gift…
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October 26, 2013 at 1:48 pm
I’d love to try Mocha Bourbon (chocolate & coffee infusion). Any thought on the amounts to get the right flavor?
October 26, 2013 at 6:35 pm
Hi Christine, great question. I have not tried making that combination, but I’m sure it will be amazing. I would be a bit cautious of using too much coffee as it may overwhelm the chocolate flavor. Have you seen our recipe for Coffee Bourbon? It may be a good idea to make the Chocolate Bourbon and Coffee bourbon separately, and then combine them a little bit at a time until you get the right flavor. Otherwise, I would suggest making the chocolate bourbon recipe and just adding a bit of coffee to start (maybe a tablespoon or so). You also may want to add a touch of sugar (or brown sugar) but that is just personal preference. Good luck!
January 16, 2014 at 2:32 pm
Thanks for posting this! I made this and the apple pie bourbon, and they turned out great! Can the cacao nibs be used for anything after infusing? It seems like such a waste to throw them out, especially after making apple pie with the bourbon-soaked apples!
January 16, 2014 at 8:07 pm
Thanks Stella! I’m so glad your infusions turned out so well. I have not tried using the cacao nibs after infusing with them. I guess I figured most of the flavor had left them. But my suggestion would be to try adding them to banana bread, oatmeal cookies, or a milkshake. What do you think? Cheers~
January 20, 2014 at 10:34 am
Great ideas! I was thinking of adding them to a no-bake chocolate pie–might do it for a party this weekend. I tasted a few of them, and most of the flavor has indeed left them… but they’re still boozy! I’ll take a crack at the pie this weekend and let you know…
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August 5, 2014 at 8:03 am
Have you ever tried with processed chocolate? I’m just curious b/c I don’t know where I can find cocoa nibs in France and I would like to get this started!
September 16, 2014 at 9:30 pm
Hi Kathy, I am not sure how processed chocolate would work. My guess is that it wouldn’t really infuse well. Have you tried ordering cacao nibs online? In the US, a lot of our local natural foods stores, specialty chocolate shops, and even home brew stores carry them. I know they are available through Amazon.com. Good luck!
Cheers~