I have always felt that a great meal should be completed with a great dessert. I just don’t believe that the perfect dessert needs to be served on a plate. Why not serve it in a glass?

What is a dessert? The word originates from the French word desservir “to clean the table” and the negative of the Latin word servire, which is typically the sweet course that follows the savory ones and puts an exclamation point on the meal. We have been conditioned to think of dessert in terms of sweetness and decadence on a plate; well I say, what’s wrong with sweetness and decadence in a glass?

My favorite bar and restaurant menus are ones with offerings of small servings of food that I will never fill up on—especially when on a date. So why should I have an enjoyable meal, only to overload on a Triple Chocolate Mousse Torte with a Crème Anglaise? I would much rather sit back and enjoy a sweet and delicious cocktail, that will not make me feel like I want to go home unbutton my pants and take a nap.

While I believe that this is a trend just waiting to explode, I think it would do us all well to be leaders and not followers. I have already seen so many dessert-flavored drinks being included in normal cocktail programs, attempting to get non-spirit drinkers to venture away from beer and the ever popular vodka/cranberry. Why not move them to the dessert menu where they belong, and replace them with some equally delicious craft cocktails and train a staff to promote them? Below are a few examples of some wonderfully familiar boozy desserts offered in a glass. I hope that you will have an open mind and try them, as this is the truly sophisticated way to enjoy dessert!

THE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINTINI

1 oz. Godiva Chocolate Vodka
½ oz Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
1 Tspn. Crème de Menthe
1 Tspn. Chocolate Syrup
Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake well. Drizzle chocolate syrup and strain drink into the glass. Garnish with a mint candy.

BANANA SPLITINI

1 ½ oz. Vodka
¾ oz. Crème de Banane or banana liquor
¾ oz. Crème de Cacao
Banana slice for garnish
Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake well. Strain into a well-chilled glass. Garnish with a cross sliced banana.

BAILEYS ESPRESSO MARTINI

2 oz. Baileys Original Irish Cream
½ oz. Vodka
1 Shot cold espresso
Coffee beans for garnish
Pour all liquid ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake well. Strain into a well -chilled glass. Garnish with 3 coffee beans floated on top of the cocktail.

DEATH BY CHOCOLATINI

Cocoa powder, for rimming
2 oz. Chocolate liqueur, plus more for rimming
1oz. Vodka
1 oz. Half-and-half
Add a few tablespoons chocolate liqueur to a small rimmed plate. Add a few tablespoons cocoa powder to another small plate and whisk briefly to break up the lumps. Dip the rim of a glass into the liqueur then into the cocoa. Set aside.
Add the chocolate liqueur, vodka, and half-and-half to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake for a good 20 seconds. Pour into rimmed glass.

WHITE CHOCOLATINI

1 1/2 oz. Vanilla vodka
1 oz. Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
2 oz. Cream
White chocolate shavings for garnish
Pour the vodka, Godiva and cream into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well. Strain into a well-chilled glass. Garnish with white chocolate shavings.

Desserts spelled backwards is stressed. Coincidence? I think not! Make it a dessert cocktail and you will have the perfect end to any meal. So be a leader in this up and coming trend, enjoy these exquisite and decadent cocktails, and remember its 5:00 somewhere!