Decadent Dessert Cocktail Recipes

I am a healthy person in general, but when it comes to luscious desserts, my willpower is gone. Add some tasty spirits to the mix and you have an irresistible combo: The dessert cocktail.

Dessert cocktails are the perfect opportunity to combine aesthetic beauty, bold (and sweet!) flavors, and all of those obscure spirits and liqueurs that don’t seem to fit anywhere else.

Here I have compiled a short list of favorites. Get ready to spend some time mixing up dessert cocktails, these tasty recipes will have you scrambling to find all the ingredients so you can start sampling!

Warning! If you are diabetic, do not attempt to drink!

Seriously, though, this is a thick, rich, potent sucker punch of chocolaty, nutty, creamy and did I mention chocolaty? FLAVOR.

To thin the drink out, use milk instead of half & half and cut down on a tablespoon of Nutella.

• Coffee for ice cubes
• Ice cube tray
• Pinnacle whipped cream vodka (Vanilla also works well.)
• Bailey's or Carolan's or other Irish Cream liqueur
• Kahlua coffee liqueur
• Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
• Half & half or milk
• Whipped cream
• Cinnamon and/or nutmeg for garnish

Who wants to eat when you have a cocktail like this? In this case, a little something crunchy and slightly less sweet would make a great sidekick. Try these:

• Peanut butter cookies
• Scones
• Biscotti
• Spiced mixed nuts

In the tradition of the B-52, the Irish Mexican Coffee, and the million variations in between, here is a recipe for a cold morning time, brunch time (or anytime!) cocktail that is tasty and sweet, but also strong enough to take the edge off of whatever is bearing down on you.

Irish Mexican Eskimo Recipe

1. Freeze coffee in an ice cube tray at least 3 hours before making drinks.
2. Fill a tall glass with coffee ice cubes
3. Pour whipped vodka, Irish Cream, half & half, Kahlua & Frangelico slowly over the ice cubes.
4. Top with fresh whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg

Slide a straw in and enjoy!

There are endless possible variations of this drink. For instance, you could add Peppermint Schnapps for a minty pop, swap out Irish whiskey for the whipped vodka, use Tia Maria in place of Kahlua, or even add Godiva white or dark chocolate liqueurs for extra richness. Have fun coming up with your own favorite!

As desserts go, this one hit near and dear to my heart. If you're a fan of root beer floats, you'll love it too. Without further ado, the Bourbon-Spiked Rootbeer Float. Easy and delicious.

• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract
• 4 ounces of good quality bourbon (I like Maker's Mark)
• 1 pint of vanilla ice cream
• Enough rootbeer to fill two glasses

This refreshing and rich dessert cocktail screams barbecue, grilled meats and even roasted vegetables and spicy foods. Here are some ideas for before, during or after companions:

• Smokey,spicy barbecued ribs, pork chops or flank steak.
• Slow roasted poultry or grilled chicken quarters with garlic, thyme and rosemary
• Lobster, prawns or spicy/savory shrimp
• Roasted chilies such as Anaheim and Poblano.

Ah, endless possibilities to achieve that warm-tummy-glazed-eye-food coma feeling.

1. Pour 1 tspn. of vanilla extractd and 2 oz. bourbon into a chilled glass and swirl together. Preferably a beer mug or oversized coffee mug like the one pictured here.
2. Add 2 large scoops of ice cream (or more if you desire)
3. Put in your straw!
4. Slowly, oh so slowly, pour the rootbeer over the ice cream to about a half inch within the glass rim
5. Enjoy!

Note, like any good rootbeer float, this one gets better after the ice cream melts a bit and blends in with the other ingredients. This recipe makes 2 spiked floats.

***Don't care for bourbon? Try substituting dark or spiced rum instead. Amazing!

• Carrot juice. No mixtures, the pure juice.
• Heavy whipping cream and/or half&half and Cool Whip
• Ground Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Brown sugar
• Fresh carrot for grating
• Whipped cream cheese
• Baileys or other brand Irish cream liqueur
• Whipped cream or vanilla vodka
• Spiced rum
• Martini glass

This is the cocktail you want to keep drinking until it's gone. One sip, two, no maybe just one more, and another, oh look at that...it's gone. Bartender, can I have another?

How to Make the Carrot Cake Martini:

1. Chill a martini glass in the freezer.
2. Prep a small side dish with whipped cream cheese or cream cheese frosting.
3. Grate carrot into the mixture if you like. Spread evenly over the dish with a butter knife and make sure it is thick enough to reach just above the rim.
4. In a cocktail shaker, mix:

• 1 1/2-2 oz. Carrot juice (taste and adjust to personal preference
• 1 oz. Heavy whipping cream (or 1 oz. half&half + 1 tblspn. Cool Whip)
• 1/2 tspn. Ground cinnamon
• 1tblspn. Brown sugar
• 1 oz. Whipped cream vodka or vanilla vodka
• 1 oz. Spiced rum
• 1/2-3/4 oz. Irish cream liqueur
• Stir or shake until your mixture is smooth and creamy.

Turn your chilled martini glass in the cream cheese frosting mixture until the rim has a nice coating of the concoction.

Pour the contents of your shaker into the glass. Leave plain or drop a dollop of whipped cream on top, and follow with a dash of nutmeg and a grating of carrot.

A delicious cocktail that will remind you of ripe fruity cherries with a hint of that flaky, nutty crust. Don't forget the ice cream.

• Martini glass!
• 100% Pure cherry juice
• Frangelico
• Whipped cream or vanilla vodka
• Good quality V.S.O.P. brandy
• Vanilla extract
• Brown sugar
• Ground cinnamon
• Whipped cream for rim
• Dark chocolate for grating

The first thought that comes to mind when tasting this cocktail is chocolate. Consider pairing this with:

• Dark chocolate; chunks of it, dark chocolate soufles, how about dark chocolate chicken mole?
• Strawberries, dipped in chocolate of course.
• Macadamia crusted tilapia or halibut
• Following a fresh spinach salad with strawberries, blueberries, candied pecans, feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.

1. Chill your martini glass in the freezer while you mix the drink
2. Prep a side dish with enough whipped cream to cover both sides of the glass rim. Keep refrigerated.
3. Mix in, and/or sprinkle brown sugar into/on top of the whipped cream
4. In a cocktail shaker or mixing glass with ice, combine:

• 2-2 1/2 oz. Cherry juice
• 1 oz. Whipped cream or vanilla vodka
• 1/2-3/4 oz. Frangelico
• 1/4 oz. V.S.O.P. brandy
• 1 tspn. Vanilla extract
• 1 large tblspn. Brown sugar
• 1/2 tspn. Ground cinnamon

5. Stir or shake thoroughly until sugar is dissolved. This is easier if you add the ice after you mix.

6. Turn the martini glass rim in the whipped cream mixture until you are satisfied.

7. Pour your cocktail in the glass and enjoy!

Hopefully this handful of dessert cocktails inspires you to stock up your liquor cabinet, consider an alternative to your 'usual' when you go out, or better yet, think up your own unique recipes. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Cheers!

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