How To Give Your Chocolate Martini An Added Boost Of Sweetness

There are few better ways to wrap up a meal or wind down an evening than by treating yourself to a delicious beverage that's part dessert and part cocktail. The chocolate martini is one of the classic go-to drinks for anyone in the mood for a sweet, creamy cocktail, and if you find yourself feeling a little classy as you sip, you're in good company. According to the oft-repeated lore, the chocolate martini wasn't just Elizabeth Taylor's favorite drink, but she — and Rock Hudson — reportedly invented it.

It's incredibly simple to make; a basic chocolate martini calls for vodka, chocolate liqueur, and a creme de cacao, along with milk, heavy cream, or half and half. You might choose to add extras like some shaved chocolate or a strawberry on the edge of the glass, but there's a much easier way to make this creamy cocktail even sweeter. All you need to do is switch up your vodka, and for a foolproof upgrade, add vanilla vodka instead of the standard.

Vanilla is one of the closest things to true magic that we have left in our cynical, 21st-century world. When adding it to other ingredients — including chocolate — vanilla boosts the sweetness and emphasizes other flavors to make the final product greater than the sum of its parts. If you'd like to have even more control over the ingredients that go into your cocktail, we have a tip for you.

There is certainly no shortage of bizarre vodka flavors, and it's honestly to the point where you could make a game out of naming different kinds and then separating the real from the fake. It's not entirely surprising that some large-scale distilleries putting out flavored vodkas use all sorts of artificial flavors and additives, but if you want a more natural option, it's incredibly easy. Pick up a bottle of your favorite vodka (the more neutral-tasting, the better), add a vanilla bean or two, and let it sit for about a week.

That's it! We'd recommend making a few different bottles using various types of vanilla beans, like Mexican or Madagascar vanilla; they'll each add a slightly different sweetness to your chocolate martini, and you can also continue to experiment with various vodka infusions.

Chocolate goes with any number of different flavors, and many will work alongside vanilla vodka to add another dimension to this extra-sweet cocktail. You can also use another flavor of vodka alongside your vanilla. Try strawberry, lychee, or cherry for a luscious, fruity touch or an espresso vodka to add a bit of richness. The good news is that you can make your own infused vodka with those flavors, too!