Tuthilltown Spirits Cacao Liqueur, New York, USA

For Valentine’s Day this year, remember that “candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.”

Tuthilltown Spirits Farm Distillery came into being by accident. Back in 2001, Ralph Erenzo purchased an old grist mill and the surrounding property because of some nearby rocky cliffs. His plan was to create a place where vacationers could come to practice rock-climbing. his didn’t sit well with the neighbors, but he had already bought the land. He looked around and saw that his plot of land was situated amid farms producing grain, had a mill for processing it, access to plentiful water from a limestone aquifer, and the right zoning already in place. Fate made him pivot, and he pivoted to Whiskey, becoming the first new distillery in New York State since Prohibition. Sixteen years and a bunch of awards later, Ralph and his partners are pretty happy with their line of Whiskies, Gins, Vodkas, bottled cocktails, and specialty liquors.

Fruition Chocolate is a gourmet confectioner not far from the Tuthilltown Distillery. They already source the finest cocoa beans from Peru and The Dominican Republic and roasted it in house. Tuthilltown Cacao Liqueur takes beans that Fruition has crafted to their specifications and distill it with their core spirit to capture the finest chocolate aroma and flavors. It’s like have a decadent gourmet chocolate truffle poured into a glass at 22% ABV. Sip it neat for a treat or use it instead of Vodka for the best chocolate martini you’ve ever poured.