What is Chocolate Liquor? A Complete Guide

Most of us know chocolate liquor as cacao liquor, cocoa liquor, cacao mass, cocoa mass, and even baking chocolate, which is not the case. However, it’s just a liquid made of cocoa beans with equal quantities of cocoa butter and cocoa solids. And since this liquid was used to produce chocolate, it was given the name “Chocolate Liquor”.

From the information shared above, it’s obvious that each chocolate bar has some amount of liquor in it, but that’s not the case. There are three main types of chocolates; dark, white, and milk. White chocolate only has cocoa fat in it, while the other two have some liquor in them. Milk chocolate is a combination of cocoa butter and sugar with a bit of liquor, also.

The nutrition profile of chocolate liquor is almost the same as that of cacao beans, meaning they have high concentrations of zinc and magnesium, proteins and fibers.

Let’s take a look at what chocolate liquor is made of, how much alcohol is in it, and how one can make it.

What is Chocolate Liquor?

Some people also confuse “Chocolate Liquor” with “Chocolate Liqueur” even though both are completely different terms. Liquor mainly refers to any beverage that has alcohol in it. But that’s not the case because chocolate liquor is a paste made of cocoa butter and cocoa solids. While chocolate liqueur is a beverage made of a base liquor such as vodka or whiskey, and chocolate is then added to it.  So, there is a difference between the two.

Since chocolate liquor is made of beans, these are fermented first, dried, and then roasted. After removing the skin from these beans, their inner part is put in a cocoa mass known as a cocoa paste. Once you start heating this paste, it liquefies. You can then mold this liquor in chocolate bars or blocks. Or you can separate the components also, depending on the purpose you’ve made the liquor for.

Is Chocolate Liquor Alcoholic?

Another misconception about chocolate liquor is that it has alcohol in it, which is not true. But it also depends on what kind of liquor is being taken into account while talking about alcohol. Since liquor doesn’t always refer to an alcoholic beverage, figuring out the liquor is really important. As far as chocolate liquor is concerned, it doesn’t contain alcohol but has a certain amount of caffeine in it because of the cacao beans they’re made from.

The darker color of the liquor or chocolate represents the amount of caffeine. So, liquor contains more caffeine since the actual chocolate has additional ingredients also, such as milk and sugar, which are used to sweeten it. The chocolate used in making coffee is the liquor which is why it affects your taste buds and keeps you awake.

Due to the presence of additional ingredients mentioned above, there is a chance that chocolates have gluten in them. You can also consider chocolate liquor vegan because the components (cocoa butter and solids) come directly from the tree. So, if you are intolerant to any of these, don’t forget to read the label or instructions carefully before trying to use it.

What does Chocolate liquor Contain?

Though we’ve already mentioned two main components of chocolate liquor, it contains some other components as well which may not be visible but add to its benefits. Take a look at them below:

1. 54% Cocoa butter
2. 17% Carbohydrates
3. 11% Protein
4. 6% Tannins
5. 5% Theobromine (works just like caffeine)

For a liquor to be usable and good enough, it must have fat quantity in between 50 and 58%. And normally this percentage is 54 which means the liquor can be used. Chocolate liquor also contains the following components in minute quantities:

• Polyphenols
• Anandamide (quite similar to THC which is an active ingredient in marijuana)
• Phenylethylamine (less than 1%)

Each of its components is for a different purpose. For example, Theobromine acts like caffeine and calms you down whenever you don’t feel better. However, excessive amounts of it may harm your body also, which is why liquor is checked properly before usage. Moreover, polyphenols are antioxidants that help you avoid diseases like cancer and heart attack. So, there are various benefits of using chocolate liquor as compared to simple chocolate because of additional ingredients like sugar and milk, which may make you a diabetic patient also in case of excessive usage. You may also fall prey to obesity by regularly having a piece of chocolate. So, take all the factors into account before using it.

How to make Chocolate Liquor?

We’ve previously mentioned that cocoa beans play the main part in producing chocolate liquor. First, you must ferment the beans, dry and roast them, and separate them from their shells. Fermentation is an important part of the process because of removing the fleshy and fruity pulp from them. They not only make the beans fatty but may not let you make a better liquor either. After that, start grinding them to get the liquor.

There is no such chemical reaction for the formation of this liquor, and it’s obvious from the composition mentioned above also. So, you can also make chocolate liquor at home, melt it, and make chocolate bars from it.

What is Chocolate Liquor Used for?

Chocolate liquor has utmost importance in making all the products related to chocolate such as dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate, baking chocolate, cocoa butter and powder, and chocolate bars. Here is how each of these things is made:

·      Milk Chocolate

Milk is first dried and then concentrated in order to be added to liquor alongside sugar and butter.

·      Baking Chocolate

For making this chocolate, you just have to pour liquor into molds and give it some time to harden. Baking chocolate is just another name for chocolate liquor, so you don’t have to do much to make it.

·      White Chocolate

In order to make white chocolate, start by removing cocoa solids and use cocoa butter along with milk, sugar and any other flavor.

·      Dark Chocolate

Even though dark chocolate contains more amount of caffeine than any other one, it can be made easily using cocoa butter with some sugar.

·      Cocoa Powder

If you want to make cocoa powder from chocolate liquor, you have to press the latter and separate butter from it. After that, you may also convert cocoa into fine powder.

·      Cocoa Butter

The same process is followed here as that for powder; start by pressing the liquor and separating the butter from the solids. Pour the butter then in a mold and make other products from it.

Apart from these, it is also used to make products like ice cream, candies, and coffee-based drinks because of its rich taste and quality. Things made of cocoa powder aren’t included here because of the amount of fats in it which is less than 10%. Manufacturers have to buy cocoa beans in raw form, process them through their nibs, and peel them off to extract multiple things. That’s when you can get to know if there is alcohol in it or not, and that’s how you figure out whether it is chocolate liquor or chocolate liqueur.

So, despite the fact that chocolate liquor does not contain alcohol or whiskey in it, it can be tasty and can be used for making multiple other products also.

Is Chocolate Liquor Healthy for human body?

Chocolate liquor in pure form is quite good for your body because it is produced from cocoa beans containing healthy fats, proteins, and fibers. Also, the additional amounts of zinc and magnesium add to their benefits. However, when it’s added with other artificial ingredients like sugar or powdered milk, it may cause various diseases.

Disadvantages of Chocolate Liquor

Since chocolate liquor has an excess amount of cocoa in it, it shouldn’t be used by older people much because it can cause problems related to blood pressure. Otherwise, there is no such issue associated with its usage. However, some side effects of cocoa (a caffeine-related product) may cause sleeplessness, nervousness, and fast heartbeat, which may also prove fatal at times.

Apart from these, there is a chance of allergic skin reactions also along with migraine and constipation. Your digestive system may not work either due to excessive usage of cocoa. But if you use cocoa butter, that’s quite safe. Even you can apply it to your face also if your skin is not sensitive.

Conclusion

There are various advantages and a few disadvantages to using chocolate liquor in any form or making any product with it. However, you only need to know what quantity of it you should consume. Also, being a chocolate lover, you must understand what the ice cream or coffee you’re having is made of. You can also make this liquor at home with certain tricks, which is one way of pleasing yourself. So, take all the factors into account and start to use chocolate liquor then.