Fun fact: I love chocolate. Alright, well, that’s not really a secret or hidden gem. I mean, just look at all of the chocolate we’ve been doing lately (the Crème de Cacao and Extreme Chocolate Martini). Here’s a little more insight for you: I love a good Black Forest Cake. Heck, I request one almost every year for my birthday. That’s why I knew I had to come up with a proper, quality drink in its honor. Oh yes. Hello Black Forest Martini, you’re my new favorite.

Let me state this at the top: this is a many liquored drink. I said a proper, quality drink, didn’t I? We’re not talking about some bargain basement Black Forest Martini here. You’ll find no Chambord (which is great, but it’s also raspberry, not cherry). What you will find is three different cherry liquors and two different chocolate ones. Oh, and some vodka for good measure.

One thing I noticed when researching other Black Forest Martinis was people’s love of adding Chambord or other non-cherry liquors. I get that those are popular alcohols and I understand that quite a few people stock them, but no. If you’re going to do this cake justice, you need to hunt down cherry.

I’ll run through the cherries for you: we have Cherry Kijafa, Kirschwasser and Luxardo. Why so many? Easy, you need to get the right flavor.

First, we have the Cherry Kijafa. No, I didn’t just pick it because it’s Danish (OK, it didn’t hurt, but the flavor also worked). I chose it because of its rich, full cherry flavor. You’re going to get a full bodied cherry flavor from it with a bit of what I like to call “dark, rich flavors.” Bonus? You can drink the extra on ice like my father often does.

Then, we have the Kirschwasser, which should go without saying. I’ll say it though. It’s in the cake, so it’s in the drink. I selected Schladerer Kirschwasser, because why not go with the best?

Finally, we have the Luxardo to round out the flavor. With just the Cherry Kijafa and Kirschwasser, I wasn’t happy with the muted flavors of the drink. I knew that we had to up the brightness and that’s exactly what Luxardo does. It’s going to bring you bright, happy, Italian cherries.

To those, we add Godiva liqueur and Crème de Cacao (homemade if you can, but still, I don’t judge).

Add in a little cream and a little vodka and you’re a happy, Black Forest Martini drinker.

In the end, you top it off with some lightly whipped cream (I did this by hand, you’re not looking for stiff peaks, just something a little more full bodied than pouring cream right on it) and chocolate shavings. Could you top it off with cherries? Of course you can!

Now, onto the drink!

Black Forest Martini

• 1/2 oz. Vodka
• 1 oz. Cherry kijafa
• 1 oz. Kirschwasser
• 1/2 oz. Luxardo
• 1 1/2 oz. Godiva
• 1 oz. Crème de cacao
• 1/2 oz. Heavy cream
• Chocolate shavings
• Slightly whipped cream

Instructions

Glass type: Coupe

Gently whip cream by hand — you’re not looking for stiff peaks here, think more a pourable mousse-like consistency. Make your chocolate shavings. For the drink itself: add all boozes plus 1/2 oz. heavy cream in your shaker. Add ice. Shake. Strain into your coupe leaving room for the flourish of whipped cream at the end. Top with your prepared cream. Garnish with chocolate shavings.