Mixology at Home - Chocolate Mandarin Dream

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - What do you do with that dusty bottle of booze you bought for a party and have not touched it since? Can you even drink it?

I have rarely poured liquor down the drain (and responsibly recycled the bottle). That is why I have a couple of bottles collecting dust in the back of my bar, the oldest being a bottle of black vodka.

Most spirits can last several years once opened. You might want to get rid of opened bottles after two to three years. The taste and quality do deteriorate due to oxidation, but you can still drink older liquor.

However, anything with added sugar, cream, or other dairy products really should be tossed out around 18 months after opening.

Unopened, kept out of direct sunlight at moderate temperatures, alcohol can last indefinitely.

Where I have trouble is with liquors bought for specific occasions, such as Halloween. Hence the black vodka.

So, find some cocktail recipes to experiment with. They will not all be successful, but you never know. Also, if you are using a liquor that you are not drinking, what’s the harm?

This drink, the Chocolate Mandarin Dream, uses a specific vodka. I cannot remember why I bought it in the first place (more than four years ago). But here it is, so let’s start draining it.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz Mandarin Absolut vodka
• 1 oz white chocolate liqueur
• 1/4 oz Grand Marnier
• Sweet cocoa powder
• Dark chocolate shavings
• Orange wedge

Directions: Rim the glass with an orange wedge, shake vodka, liqueurs in a shaker with ice and strain into the glass, and shave some chocolate over the top.

Copyright 2023 KEVN. All rights reserved.