There are certain people I’m hardwired to distrust: those who put their milk in the mug before the teabag, people who make eye contact on the Tube and, most importantly, those who don’t like chocolate. Specifically Easter eggs.
But I know these people exist and despite my reservations, as a journalist I live to serve the public. When I heard tell of a cocktail promising to replace Easter eggs, I decided it was my duty to give it a whirl.
Master of Malt, the brains behind Jaffa Cake flavoured vodka and gin, came up with an indulgent cocktail recipe pitted as the perfect Easter alternative to a classic chocolate egg.
The drink called for a mix of chocolate liqueur, Jaffa Cake flavoured vodka, Baileys and ice, to be sipped from a glass with a rim dusted with crushed Mini Eggs.
Spurred on by the promise of both booze and sweets, I tried to whip up the cocktail myself at home.
(Image: Claire Hubble / My London)
Jaffa Cake vodka, you say?
First off, I decided the Jaffa Cake vodka needed sampling by itself. Flavoured vodka is something I haven’t picked up since my university days so the bar was pretty low, however the bottle’s fancy label sets it apart from the usual sweet concoctions on supermarket shelves.
The label’s spiel promised notes of orange, fresh orange peel, cocoa and, obviously, Jaffa Cake.
Upon first whiff, I was disappointed not to pick up any aroma other than vodka. But once I’d knocked back a small measure, I was pleasantly surprised to taste the distinct flavour of those childhood chocolate treats.
However it must be said that the vodka taste far overshadowed that of sweet, sweet Jaffa Cakes.
Unperturbed, I pressed on with knocking up the Easter cocktail.
(Image: Claire Hubble / My London)
The recipe called for:
25g Mini easter eggs
1 tsp honey
25ml crème de cacao (or other chocolate liqueur)
25ml Baileys (or other Irish cream)
50ml Jaffa Cake vodka
Ice
And the instructions read:
Crush the Mini Eggs and tip onto a plate. Brush the rim of a martini glass with a little of the honey then dip the glass into the crushed Eggs. Pop the glass in the fridge until you need it.
(Image: Claire Hubble / My London)
The taste test
Pour Jaffa Cake Vodka, chocolate liqueur and Irish cream into a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice and shake. Strain into your glass and serve.
With no instruction on how best to crush my little plate of Mini Eggs, I decided the food processor was my best bet. How wrong I was. A quick whizz in the kitchen gadget left me with little more than a sad pile of Mini egg dust.
Using a squeeze of honey, I made the rim of the glass sticky enough to attach my Mini Egg dust. So far, so good(ish).
Next came the main event: constructing the cocktail itself. The recipe called for a large measure of vodka (50ml), a smaller one of Baileys (25ml) and another splash of chocolate liqueur (25ml), which I couldn’t find in any Southwark supermarket and had to settle on a dash of chocolate syrup instead.
The ingredients all went into a cocktail shaker with some ice and I attempted my best bartender impression.
(Image: Claire Hubble / My London)
I then poured the mix into my previously prepared glass. Time for a sip.
Woah woah woah. It became suddenly apparent that the cocktail was a mix of alcohol and… more alcohol. The Mini Egg rim was a sweet touch but couldn’t distract from the overpowering aroma of booze.
After a few sips, I found myself warming to the unusual cocktail. Personally I won’t be giving up my beloved Easter eggs in a hurry, but a festive cocktail is as good a reason than any to enjoy a festive tipple this Bank Holiday.