ChocoVine: Female Bliss of Red Wine & Chocolate

4bartenders.com (for bartenders, those who want to be and other scoundrels)

Last year, when my restaurant manager said "try this, it's red wine and chocolate!" ...the ol' Robbie the Robot alarm from watching too many "Lost In Space" espisodes went off in my head clanging "Danger, danger, Will Robinson"!

"Why?", was the question that resounded in my mind, "would anyone want to mix red wine with chocolate?". ...that was, until I tasted it! ...FANTASTIC!

The wine in question is called "ChocoVine"; a superbly blended mix of a fine French Cabernet with a dark rich chocolate from Holland. And "NO!", the chocolate does not "separate" from the red wine when not in use.

There are no alcoholic liquors or drinks on the market that the ChocoVine can be compared to. The closest ones would probably be Bailey's Irish Cream or a Black Russian ...but in both of these drinks, they are not as "chocolate-ty" or as sweet as the ChocoVine. In fact, when you have either of these types of drinks you will feel the "alcohol burn" when you swallow some of either drink.

You have to remember that you're comparing liquor drinks to a red wine ...that's the "kicker". With the ChocoVine, you don't have that "alcohol burn" in your throat when you swallow some; in fact, there aren't any harsh after-tastes at all ...excuse me for saying this: "it's like YoHoo for adults", but with 14% proof alcohol.

Here's my recommendation on when and how to serve ChocoVine:

When: after women's bridge date, after afternoon tea-sandwiches, etc ...and before or in lieu of dessert. A great surprise and controversial subject that will delight all.

How: I found the most appropriate way to serve ChocoVine is to fill a champagne flute half-way with it and then garnish the glass with a split half strawberry (i.e. cut a strawberry in half; then make a cut in the halved-strawberry so that you can "hang" it on the rim of the glass). ...and sip away!

Notes:

- while men do enjoy ChocoVine, more women than men prefer it; hence, my focus on ChocoVine and women in this article.

- there are also a nice variety of drinks and cocktails you can make with ChocoVine; please visit: www.chocovine.com for a listing of them.

- ChocoVine also has a "fan page" on FaceBook