In New England prior to the 18th century American Revolution, a “chocolate wine” was popular. Its ingredients included sherry, port, chocolate, and sugar.  A French distillers manual published in 1780 (Descriptions des arts et métiers[i].) also describes chocolate liqueur.  This chocolate liqueur was often consumed straight, as an after-dinner drink, used in mixed drinks, and as an ingredient in desserts like sauces, cakes, and truffles. Wine and chocolate are a classic flavor pairing, and this is reflected in some cocktails that combine a strong red wine with a dash of chocolate liqueur.  Arguably the most controversial use may be in connection with a scandal concerning the provenance of certain 17th century bottles of wines said to have belonged to Thomas Jefferson.  At a wine tasting of 19th century wines from Château Latour, in 1940, several people noted the wines had a flavor of chocolate liqueur. Evidently, an empty or perhaps spoiled bottles from Jefferson’s wine cellar as refilled with a 10-year-old common Bordeaux, mixed with coffee, chocolate, and cinnamon, then refilled.  These fakes[ii] were discovered only after they fetched an astonishing $20 million Deutschmarks/bottle.

Rafatia d’ Chocolat as a popular punch in New England.  Colloquially known as “chocolate wine”, it was made with a mixture of brandy, port, coffee, chocolate, and sugar. Unlike modern chocolate-flavored wines, which are made with fermented cacao, the colonial version was a true wine punch blended from already prepared ingredients.  It was also quite distinct from the drinking chocolate (made from cakes of chocolate mixed with hot water and other flavorings) served in the coffee houses of the era in that it, like most 18^th Century punch, was quite alcoholic.

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[i] Jean Elie Bertrand, ed. (1780). “Section II: Des liqueurs spiritueuses par infusion”. Descriptions des arts et métiers. Vol. 12. de l’Imprimerie de la Société Typographique.

[ii] Benjamin Wallace (2008). The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine. Crown. ISBN 978-0-307-33877-8.

Rafatia d’ Chocolat Recipe:

• 1 gallon brewed coffee
• 8 oz cane sugar
• 8 oz dutched[1] chocolate
• 1/5 gallon brandy
• 2/5 gallon port wine
  
  Serve Hot
  
  
  [1] Chocolate powder made from cocoa solids that have been treated with an alkali (Broma process) to reduce the natural acidity of cocoa, giving it a less bitter taste and darker colour compared to “natural cocoa.”

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