What is chocolate liquor? (2024)

Chocolate liquor is one of the key ingredients in any bar of chocolate. It’s made from the nibs of cocoa beans, and contrary to what the name suggests, it doesn’t contain any alcohol. Despite the misnomer, chocolate liquor helps give chocolate its distinctive taste and texture.

Once the shells of cocoa beans are separated from the nibs during the winnowing process, chocolate liquor is made by milling the nibs.

What is chocolate liquor? (1)

How is chocolate liquor made?

There are a variety of ways that cocoa nibs can be milled, but at a basic level, all milling processes use mechanically applied heat and pressure to turn the nibs from a solid into a liquid. Some milling machines rely on a series of rotating millstones to accomplish this, while others use hammers and pins, or metal balls.(1)

What is chocolate liquor? (2)

In a melanger (pictured above), for example, it can take anywhere from 18-72 hours of milling to make chocolate liquor that’s ready to be eaten. This is in part because the ideal particulate size in chocolate liquor is just 30 microns — that’s about half the size of a grain of sand.(2)

Why is milling so essential?

An important reason why milling is necessary for chocolate-making is not just to make the nibs easier to mix with other ingredients, but also to release the fat within the cells in the nibs.

Breaking apart the cellular structure of nibs frees this fat, which then coats the resulting particles. This helps chocolate flow smoothly, and prevents it from feeling gritty in your mouth.(3)

Since it comes directly from cocoa beans, chocolate liquor is also what brings all the flavors that started developing when the beans were fermented, dried and roasted to a finished bar of chocolate.

Once cocoa nibs have been milled into chocolate liquor, the liquor is ready to be mixed with other ingredients to make liquid chocolate.

What is chocolate liquor? (3)

(1) Minifie, Bernard W. Chocolate, Cocoa and Confectionery: Science and Technology. New York, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1989, 53-56.

(2) Beckett, Stephen T. The Science of Chocolate. Croydon: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008, 51.

(3) Beckett, 50-51.

What is chocolate liquor? (2024)

FAQs

Is there any alcohol in chocolate liquor? ›

Chocolate liquor is one of the key ingredients in any bar of chocolate. It's made from the nibs of cocoa beans, and contrary to what the name suggests, it doesn't contain any alcohol. Despite the misnomer, chocolate liquor helps give chocolate its distinctive taste and texture.

What's the difference between chocolate and chocolate liquor? ›

According to U.S. regulations, chocolate liquor may also be called chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, baking chocolate, or bitter chocolate. An essential part of dark and milk chocolate, this ingredient with the many names does not contain alcohol, or vegetable fat.

Why is it called chocolate liquor? ›

The name liquor is used not in the sense of a distilled, alcoholic substance, but rather the older meaning of the word, meaning 'liquid' or 'fluid'. Chocolate liquor contains roughly 53 percent cocoa butter (fat), about 17 percent carbohydrates, 11 percent protein, 6 percent tannins, and 1.5 percent theobromine.

How much chocolate liquor is in dark chocolate? ›

Production of Chocolate
IngredientChocolate (50% cocoa)Chocolate (70% cocoa)
Cocoa liquor3570
Added cocoa butter15
Sugar5030
Whole milk powder

Can you drink chocolate liqueur straight? ›

Chocolate liqueur can be consumed straight, as an after dinner drink rather than as aperitif.

Can a pregnant woman eat liquor chocolate? ›

Chocolate is perfectly safe for most pregnant women – in moderation.

Is chocolate liquor healthy? ›

Is Chocolate Liquor Healthy? Since chocolate liquor comes directly from the cocoa bean it contains fiber, proteins and healthy fats. Despite the antioxidants that chocolate liquor contains, it is always best to consume chocolate in moderation.

What does chocolate liquor taste like? ›

Chocolate liquor by itself provides a crisp chocolatey flavor with a subtle sweetness. This ingredient is often used in baking to create chocolate-flavored pastries and confections.

Is creme de cacao the same as chocolate liqueur? ›

Crème de Cacao is a sweet alcoholic liqueur (chocolate bean) flavored liqueur, often scented with a hint of vanilla. It is different from chocolate liqueur, which is usually sweeter and more syrupy. It comes in 2 varieties, dark and white. Commonly used in mocha martinis or coffee drinks.

How long is chocolate liquor good for? ›

It's helpful to know how long you can hold on to your chocolate liqueur, and while some factors will impact how well your booze holds up, a basic rule of thumb is that when stashed away somewhere cool and dry, you can get about two months out of your spirit — if you don't drink it all by then.

Does chocolate liquor have sugar? ›

Impact plates with vibrating sieves are used to complete this process. The cocoa nibs are then ground using a variety of mills. The resulting chocolate liquor is then mixed with sugar, extra cocoa butter, milk solids ingredients, emulsifiers, and flavors.

What is chocolate liquor in cookies? ›

Chocolate liquor is the base substance from which chocolate is made. It is a thick paste-like mass made of pure cocoa solids and cocoa butter. It's made from cocoa beans. The beans are fermented, dried and then roasted.

Is chocolate liquor the same as unsweetened chocolate? ›

Unsweetened Chocolate

Unsweetened is basically unadulterated chocolate liquor, so a mix of cocoa solids and cocoa butter without any added sugar. It's super bitter and not good for eating on its own.

What are the 4 types of chocolate? ›

There are four types of chocolate: dark, milk, white, and ruby. Chocolate comes from the seeds, or nibs, of the cacao tree.

What does 70 dark chocolate mean? ›

So a plain dark chocolate bar with a cocoa content of 70%, means that 70% of the chocolate has been made from ingredients found purely in the cocoa bean. The remaining 30% will consist of other ingredients such as sugar, predominantly, but may also include for example very small percentages of vanilla flavouring.

Is chocolate liquor halal? ›

Yes, chocolate liquor is typically both halal and kosher.

Do cherry liqueur chocolates have alcohol? ›

Sugar, Cherries 31.5%, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavouring, Milk Fat Dehydrated, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Whole Milk Powder, Alcohol, Stem (Polyethylene).

What is the liquid is called chocolate liquor? ›

Chocolate liquor is chocolate in a liquid form after it's been separated from the cacao bean. Despite its name, there is no alcohol in chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is an essential part of any chocolate making process. Cacao beans are first winnowed to become coarsely ground into cacao nibs.

Do cherry cordials have alcohol? ›

You can still find alcoholic cherry cordials in the United States. However, the vast majority of these confections are alcohol-free. This is what allows them to be sold on grocery store shelves and passed around among family members of all ages.

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