NOW EXPERIENCING:The ultimate cocktails for chocaholics
Cocktails|Sweet|Vodka|Aperitifs & Vermouth

The ultimate cocktails for chocaholics


Read time 5 Mins

Posted 10 Apr 2025

By
J’aime Cardillo


Hot chocolates spiked with vodka with chocolate on top

Sweet as – these easy chocolatey drinks double as dessert.

Give us some chocolate, and we’ll show you 100 (okay, 11) different ways to use it in a drink. The addition of chocolate has never made anything worse, right? This cocktail round-up proves that theory. Think Nutella in your Martini, or a dash of chocolate bitters in your Old Fashioned. Whether you’re in the mood for an adult hot choccy (that’s a hot chocolate spiked with vodka), something to sip that tastes just like an after-dinner mint, or a slew of other options to sub in for dessert, we’ve got you.
The creamy, nutty Nutella Martini
1. Nutella Martini It’s a rite of passage to stand over a jar of Nutella with a dessert spoon in hand shoving mountains of the hazelnut spread in your mouth. This brings us to our Nutella Martini – the more mature equivalent of standing over the Nutella jar. Naturally, you’ll need a jar of Nutella. We advise against the small one because there needs to be enough for a few spoonfuls for each cocktail, along with a few for you to taste along the way. Then you’ll need hazelnut liqueur, Irish cream liqueur and some vodka (it is a Martini after all).
2. The GrasshopperForget about an after-dinner mint on the pillow, we’re all about finishing the night with a Grasshopper. This cocktail calls for green crème de menthe, which is French for mint cream, along with white creme de cacao, milk and regular cream (probably best to survey for dietaries ahead of popping this on the menu). Once you’ve secured the goods, it’s quite simple, but prepare your biceps because this cocktail needs some serious strength. Using some elbow grease means the cream will be fluffy, rather than thick. Garnish with grated chocolate, or to go all in on the mint flavours by finely chopping a Mint Slice (or two).
Holding a Grasshopper cocktail, finished with chocolate powder
The Mocha Martini on a table with chocolate and flowers
3. Mocha MartiniEver ordered a mocha and felt a tinge of pain watching the barista’s response? Same. This is a shame-free zone. Especially when it comes to Jessica Nguyen’s Mocha Martini. This will be a big winner with the adults at Easter, but there’s nothing to say it can’t be a year-round favourite. Serving the Mocha Martini for Easter celebrations? Shave down a few choccie eggs for the rim. This cocktail is a cinch to make – almost nothing can go wrong; just don’t forget your espresso. Level up this drink by using coffee beans and your at-home machine to make the espresso.
4. Oaxaca Old FashionedYou didn’t think we’d miss the opportunity to throw an Old Fashioned into the mix, did you? If you’ve been here long enough, you’ll know we love the Oaxaca; it’s an agave twist on a true classic. This simple cocktail means there is nowhere to hide, so use your good-quality stuff – tequila, mezcal, agave syrup and a dash or two of chocolate bitters. You’ll find the choccie bitters in most bars’ recipes, but if you can’t track it down, you can still use Angostura Bitters – the chocolate notes will be replaced by flavours of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
Chocolate bitters brings a twist to this mezcal-based Old Fashioned
The decadent Mudslide cocktail
5. MudslideYou know when you get to the end of the night and you’re too full for a dessert and a drink? We have the perfect solution – introducing the Mudslide. We’d say it’s more dessert than drink, but what’s that we’re always saying? Dessert is a separate stomach. The Mudslide is chocolate, coffee and cream. For those (like me) who don’t really do coffee, switch the coffee liqueur to hazelnut. And if you’re serving the Mudslide at home, try subbing the cream for ice cream. Our recipe features crushed honeycomb, but have fun with it – you could try Kit-Kat, Flake, Twix, Twirl – the possibilities are as long as the chocolate aisle.
6. The TobleroneThe giant Toblerone – the one you usually gift for Father’s Day – and the regular size taste very different, and that’s something you won’t change our minds about. But what we don’t need to debate is how good the Toblerone cocktail is. There are quite a few ingredients for this Dad-approved drink, but stay with us, it’s worth it. From your bar cart, you’ll need coffee liqueur, hazelnut liqueur and Irish cream liqueur, and from the pantry, grab your chocolate sauce and honey, and then you just need your choice of vanilla ice cream. Coffee connoisseurs, feel free to sub the coffee liqueur for cold brew. This recipe calls for a chocolate garnish, so go ahead and grate down that bar of Swiss goodness.
The Toblerone is rich, creamy and a lot like a dessert
The Dougnut-ini cocktail has a cinnamon-sugar glass rim
7. The Dougnut-iniWe’re getting in early for World Donut Day, which lands on the first Friday of June each year. The Doughnut-ini is the best of both worlds – a donut and a Martini. It all starts with cinnamon sugar rim – you can buy it ready to go from the supermarket, or whip some up with cinnamon and caster sugar. Then you need spiced rum, vanilla liqueur and chocolate liqueur, cream and a dash of bitters. We know there are a few moving parts to this drink, but once you secure the ingredients, it really is a matter of chucking them all in the shaker (and shaking!), before double straining. We recommend serving with a side of donuts, naturally.
8. Stout FellowA beer-based cocktail that also includes chocolate, coffee and rum? Say less. The Stout Fellow is only 12 years old, but boy has it made a name for itself in that time. Don’t be fooled by the appearance, this isn’t an Espresso Martini. While they may look the same, they taste VERY different. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your choice of rum and beer, but if you love a stout, then we reckon this Fellow is for you. 
The Stout Fellow beer and coffee cocktail
The Dan's Hot Chocolate is spiked with vodka
9. Dan’s Hot ChocolatePicture this: it’s the dead of winter, feels like five degrees out, you’re home (and fair enough) sitting in front of the fire, holding a hot chocolate. In this practically perfect setting, the hot chocolate includes vodka. To make this drink your own, have fun with your chocolate choices – hazelnut, Caramilk, Top Deck (those are just some of our favourites). Dial up or down the cocoa depending on how sweet or bitter you prefer your hot choccy.
10. Baileys Hot White Chocolate Some people would take a breather in between hot chocs, but not us, we’re moving straight to the Baileys White Hot Chocolate. You probably already know and love Baileys, but if it’s been a while between drinks, dust that baby off, because in under 10 minutes, you could be sipping this decadent drink. Strap in, because you’ll need milk, white chocolate, white drinking chocolate, nutmeg, cloves, orange peel, Baileys (obvy), and your choice of vodka or spiced rum. We know nutmeg is as divisive as coriander, so if you’re not a fan, simply sub it for cinnamon or cocoa powder. And, please, remember to use a heat-resistant vessel – i.e. a coffee mug – when making this drink.
The bright red Salted Chocolate Oldie
11. Salted Chocolate OldieLast year, Perth drinks star Shirley Yeung shared her outrageously yum – chocolatey rum – take on the Old Fashioned – the Salted Chocolate Oldie. Shirley herself says: “ It tastes like an after-dinner treat.”  We’re in. The beauty of this? It’s not too sweet, making it a great all-rounder cocktail. The Salted Chocolate Oldie is a mix of dark rum (a winter bar cart essential), sweet vermouth, chocolate liqueur, goooood salt (put down the Saxa), and a charred orange wedge. Three ingredients (plus the salt), you can’t mess this up. Serve over a block of ice.
For more easy cocktail ideas, search our collection of recipes – you can filter by flavour profile, ingredient, keyword and more. 
image credits: Top image, Shelley Horan (photography), Bridget Wald (styling).