Ever since we first sent a selection of their delectable range in our Gin of the Month box back in October 2018, Lily O’Brien’s chocolates have been some of our favourites here at Craft Gin Club HQ.

So we just had to include a little box of their incredibly moreish Desserts Collection chocolates in our March 2020 Gin of the Month box. Just in time for sharing with your mum (or favourite person… or, you know, keeping them all for yourself!) on Mother’s Day on 22nd March.

Inspired by these little cups of joy, we’ve taken the flavours of the four unique chocolates in the Lily O’Brien’s Dessert Collection - Banoffee Pie, Crème Brûlée, Raspberry and Hazelnut Torte - and used them as inspiration for these four mouthwatering gin cocktails!

Serve them instead of dessert along with your Lily O’Brien’s choccies… honestly, we can’t think of a more decadent and delightful way to end any meal!

---

Banoffee Pie

This martini is full of those rich, creamy banana and caramel notes that we love in a banoffee pie, without being heavy with cream itself. That makes it healthier, right?!

Ingredients:
20ml gin
25ml white wine 
10ml banana syrup (available online)
5ml butterscotch syrup (available online)
35ml Apple Juice

Method:
Add all of your ingredients to a shaker, shake well and strain the liquid into a martini glass.

---

Crème Brûlée

The meeting of sweet vanilla custard and caramelised sugar make crème brûlée - and the Lily O’Brien’s chocolate version - an absolute delight to eat! Capture that same taste sensation in this sweet, creamy cocktail.

Ingredients:
20ml gin
20ml sweet vermouth 
1tsp Cointreau 
5ml brown sugar syrup
25ml double cream
1 egg white
orange twist

Method:
Add the first 3 ingredients to a mixing glass over ice, then stir them and strain them into a martini glass. On the side, mix the double cream, egg white and sugar and shake or whisk until foamy (be careful not to over beat them, we are not looking for whipped cream!). Add the foam slowly on top of the cocktail, then twist the orange peel over the top to spray its oils. Finally, heat the foam with a blow torch for a caramelised-like effect. If the blow torch is not available, sprinkle some grated Nutmeg instead.

---

Raspberry Espresso Martini

Here, the fruity berry taste of fresh raspberries meet the dark, sensuously bitter tones of coffee; these will marry beautifully when sipped along side a little taste of chocolate.

Ingredients:
50ml gin
10ml coffee liqueur 
5ml raspberry syrup
25ml espresso
orange peel
raspberry

For the raspberry syrup: Simmer 100g of raspberries in enough water to cover them for around 10 minutes, then strain them with a fine mesh. Add 100g of sugar to the raspberry sauce and stir them together until they are well mixed. All that is left to do is wait for the syrup to cool down before using.

Method:
Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and shake well before straining them into a martini glass. Twist the orange peel over the cocktail and then garnish with the peel and a raspberry.

---

Hazelnut Torte

Luxurious textures and flavours abound in this classic torte-inspired chocolate. Now you can emulate them in this silky smooth cocktail. What a treat!

Ingredients:
30ml gin
20ml hazelnut liqueur
80ml milk
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Method:
Add the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake. Then just strain the cocktail into a rocks glass or short tumbler over ice.

You can find all of Lily O’Brien’s Dessert Collection and more of their incredible chocolates on their website here.