In addition to South Florida Food and Wine I also facilitate food and wine seminars for students at Florida International University. Last week we deviated a bit from the norm and went the spirits route, Godiva Vodka and Liqueurs to be exact. I met the Godiva people last month when they hosted a dinner at Barton G. I was so impressed with their line of products and style of marketing that I asked them to be a part of my seminar series. In addition to Godiva I reached out to the Champagne house of Laurent-Perrier to also be a part of this very special seminar. So with both Godiva and Laurent-Perrier on board it was one magnificent evening as I’m sure you can imagine. However, it was not just about sipping some of the finest wine and spirits but an educational and informational session as well; I know killjoy….
Sarah Halstead the Southeast Regional Manager for Laurent-Perrier took the students on a historical Champagne journey with both the Brut and the Cuvée Rosé styles of Champagne. With the finer nuances of Champagne and Laurent-Perrier fresh on palates and minds we segued into the Godiva portion of the seminar by creating the Godiva Love Note cocktail which is a cocktail that we made with Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Vodka and Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé.
Ingredients:
1 ounce Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Vodka
Champagne
Preparation:
Pour Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Vodka in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well and strain into a Champagne flute.
Top off drink with chilled Champagne.
This cocktail was a huge hit and crazy good too boot; it was the perfect setup for the vodka/spirits portion of the class. This cocktail would make for a wonderful aperitif or even digestif, with the recipe above I highly recommend you give it a try for your next social gathering. We paired this cocktail with the Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Truffle which was the inspiration for the the Chocolate Raspberry Vodka. The Midnight Martini (below) is made with Godiva Chocolate Vodka and the muse for this vodka was the Dark Chocolate Godiva Truffle.
Midnight Martini
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Godiva Chocolate Vodka
Strawberry wedge for garnish
Preparation:
Pour Godiva Chocolate Vodka into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well and strain into a martini glass.
Garnish with a strawberry wedge.
Godiva arranged for me to have sample bottles of their Chocolate Vodka, Chocolate Raspberry Vodka, Chocolate Liqueur, Mocha Liqueur, White Chocolate Liqueur and Caramel Liqueur for the class. I tasted the students on each of the vodkas and liqueurs neat, chilled and then made various cocktails with each. The premise of the seminar was to introduce the students to the variety of flavors and tastes both in its pure state and mixed to create a more experimental and essence-layered experience as well as to appreciate a flavor-inspired product. It worked on all levels.
This seminar was a big hit and the best testament to that was the after-class side bar conversations that took place with students creating their own cocktails, their own pairings and just appreciating the vodkas and liqueurs as is.
Other cocktails we made were:
The Caramel Kiss
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Godiva Chocolate Vodka
1/4 ounce of Godiva Caramel Liqueur
1 ounce of cream
Preparation:
Combine Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, Godiva Caramel Liqueur, almond liqueur and cream into a cocktail shaker. Shake well.
Strain into a Port glass.
Ideal Serving Glass: Port glass
Yield: 1 drink
Godiva Chocolate Manhattan
Ingredients:
3/4 oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
3/4 oz Bourbon
1/3 oz Godiva Chocolate Vodka
Godiva Dark Chocolate shavings for garnish
Preparation:
Combine Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, Bourbon and Godiva Chocolate Vodka into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.
Strain over ice into a chilled Martini glass.
Shave a Godiva dark chocolate bar over the drink for garnish.
Serve in a martini glass.
