Hot & Cold in One Cocktail: The Chocoball!

Hi, Friends of Cocktails! What is it like tasting two temperatures in one cocktail? Today we’re making a cold, refreshing highball with a warm foam on top. It will feature two layers in one glass, and a completely new way to taste rum and chocolate. I’ll show you how to make it as part of episode two of our Rum & Chocolate Masterclass where we explore a flavor combination that’s meant to be. 

Today’s idea comes from the culinary world, and it was first developed by Chris Young, who used fluid gels to create a “Hot & Iced Tea” using fluid gels when working in the 3-star restaurant, the Fat Duck. 20 years later he used the same technique in coffee, which got the thumbs up from the main authority in the coffee world, James Hoffman  So if it works in the two most popular drinks in the world, we can find a way to make it work in cocktails too.

So today, we’re taking the humble Rum & Soda and turning it into an all-chocolate, layered experience… but it gets even better. This spirit of experimenting and pushing ideas forward is exactly what Artisans of Taste is all about. So if you want to learn more about it, including how it can win you a trip to Brazil, check out this link for more information. Now, let’s make the classic Rum & Soda to see what we’re up against. It’s Cocktail Time!

Classic Rum & Soda

● 45mL · 1.5oz Diplomatico Planas Rum

● 7.5mL · 0.25oz Fresh Lime Juice

● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution

● 90g Soda Water

● Lime Wheel Garnish

Into a highball glass filled with ice add in the Planas rum, lime juice, and saline solution. Lastly, top up the cocktail with soda water, and gently mix it with a bar spoon and garnish with a fresh lime wheel. This first cocktail is simple and refreshing, with Diplomatico Planas bringing in subtle nutty notes that shine through, making it light, crisp, and super drinkable.

Now I’ll show you how you can elevate this experience by adding layers of texture, temperature and fun–plus a little chocolate always hits the spot, right? Here’s what we’ll use to make “the Choco Ball”. The base will be the Diplomatico Mantuano we used for macerating cherries when making the Chocolate Manhattan.

We’ll also add a little rich simple syrup, saline, and we’ll top that with a cold cacao soda. The crown will be a warm white chocolate foam, and a little grating of lime zest, which is easier to do when the husk is frozen, so place one in the freezer while we make our cacao soda. 

Cacao Soda

● 800g Warm Water

● 12g Cacao Powder

● 2g Citric Acid

● 1g Malic Acid

● 2 CO₂ Cartridge

First, make sure you are starting with cacao powder instead of cocoa powder. Cacao powder has a more intense, slightly bitter flavor, which will help add complexity to our cocktail. So mix the cocoa powder with the warm water, and powdered acids. I’ll let my magnetic stirrer mix this for about five minutes so the cacao and acids really dissolve into the water.

After that, strain it slowly through a coffee filter. This will give you a clear, smooth cocoa soda base with no grit. At this point you need to make sure to chill it thoroughly, as the colder it is, the more carbonation it will take. For this I’m using a Twist & Sparkle to carbonate it with two CO₂ cartridges. Next, place the soda back in the fridge, so you’ll have the perfect fizz when you’re making the cocktail.

White it fully chills, we have some time to make the chocolate foam, for which you’ll need to preheat a sous vide bath to 60°C (140°F). 

White Chocolate Foam

● 25g · 2tbsp White Hot Chocolate Powder

● 220mL · 7.5oz Coconut Water

● 1 N₂O Cartridge

Combine the chocolate powder and coconut water in a small pot over medium heat. Stir well while heating gently, without letting the mixture get to a boil. Once it starts simmering and thickens slightly pour it into an iSi siphon and close it with the lid. This small batch size is perfect for my half-liter siphon, but if you’re using a one-liter siphon, just double or even triple the recipe.

Now we’re going to keep the siphon in our pre-heated sous vide bath, so we get the chocolate to the right temperature, but you don’t want it too hot so you don’t burn yourself or your guest while drinking. When it’s at temperature, charge it with one N2O cartridge and give it a good shake. If you’re working a longer shift, just keep the siphon in the sous vide bath to hold it at the right temperature all service.

Once you have everything ready and at the proper temperature, you can start making the Choco Ball.

Choco Ball

● 45mL · 1.5oz Cherry-Infused Diplomático Mantuano Rum

● 1 barspoon Rich Simple Syrup

● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution

● 90g · 3oz Chilled Cacao Soda

● Warm White Chocolate Foam

● Frozen Lime Zest

We’re using a highball glass with clear ice, into which we’ll add in the rum, rich syrup, saline solution, and cocoa soda. Use a bar spoon to gently lift and mix the drink, as you want to blend the ingredients evenly without knocking out too much of the carbonation. Now for the fun part, top the drink carefully with our warm white chocolate foam straight from the siphon.

To finish the cocktail add a touch of organic lime zest over the foam. A frozen peel is easier to grate and even adds to our hot and cold theme. You’ll get zesty, warm, and chocolatey notes on the aroma. Then the experience of the temperature difference between the two layers hits you with the first sip. Creamy, warm white chocolate on top, followed by the cold, fizzy, refreshing cocoa soda.

The cherry notes are subtle but they tie everything together with the rum. It’s rich, surprising, and totally on theme for rum and chocolate. So why does this work so well, aside from the “wow” factor of experiencing two different temperatures at once? As mentioned, different temperatures highlight different flavors.

As Chris Young explains it, warm layers release more aroma and feel richer, while cold layers give a crisp, refreshing base. And I feel we added to both of that with the chocolate and rum pairing. If you also created chocolate and rum cocktails you think we should all know about, share that in the comments below, and we might even feature them in a future Cocktail Times newsletter. Until next time, thanks for watching and enjoy exploring, cheers!