How To Pair Chocolate And Tequila

Chocolate and Tequila are quintessentially Mexican. They also make excellent, if unusual, food pairings. Recently, I spoke with Jaime Salas, Proximo Spirits’ Head of Agave Advocacy, about the types of chocolates to pair with different Tequilas, particularly the various expressions of Cuervo’s Reserva de la Familia.

According to Salas, Reserva de la Familia Platino and other Blanco Tequilas “pair best with white chocolate since the chocolate enhances the green and cooked agave flavor notes and highlights an array of bright citrus flavors in the spirit.”

Try a small piece of chocolate with a sip of Tequila to appreciate how the flavors interact and enhance each other. The white chocolate’s smooth, sweet, creamy texture should balance the Tequila’s spicy, green/herbal and peppery notes, creating a harmonious tasting experience.

Salas recommends Le Caméléon's White Chocolate Bar with Hibiscus, which “elevates the pairing by providing a rich contrast of hibiscus flowers with creamy and sweet white chocolate. This complements this unique expression’s bright, spice-laced, agave-forward taste.”

Le Caméléon, founded in Mexico, creates Belgian and Mexican fusion chocolates. Its chocolate bars come in unusual flavors that celebrate Mexican cuisine. In 2016, it was the first Mexican chocolate brand to be awarded at the International Chocolate Awards, Americas and Asia Pacific.

There are plenty of other white chocolate brands to consider besides Le Caméléon. Valrhona's white chocolate is known for its smooth texture and rich, creamy flavor. The brand offers various white chocolate options that can complement the cooked agave sweetness and orange and lemon notes of Blanco Tequila.

Lindt’s Classic Recipe White Chocolate is creamy and sweet, making it an excellent match for the fresh, clean taste of Blanco Tequila. Lindt’s white chocolate bars and truffles are widely available and consistently high in quality.

Green & Black’s Organic White Chocolate is another option. It’s made with high-quality ingredients and offers a smooth and rich flavor. Its subtle vanilla notes mesh nicely with the natural flavors of young Tequila.

Ghirardelli’s white chocolate products, especially its White Chocolate Baking Bars and Squares, are easily obtainable. They are known for their creamy texture and rich flavor, which pair well with the crispness and minerality of Blanco Tequila.

Michel Cluizel’s white chocolate is renowned for its high cocoa butter content and creamy consistency. Its delicate sweetness also pairs nicely with the bright citrus flavors of Blanco Tequila.

Godiva’s white chocolate bars and truffles are another premium chocolate option. Its white chocolates provide a luxurious and creamy experience. Their smooth texture and sweet vanilla notes can complement the agave and citrus flavors found in Blanco Tequila.

Guittard’s white chocolate couverture is often used by professional chocolatiers. Its rich, creamy flavor ensures a smooth pairing with Blanco Tequila.

According to Salas, reposado Tequilas like Reserva de la Familia Reposado are best paired with “spicy dark chocolate for a wonderful explosion of aromatic flavor.”

Reposados and other aged Tequilas can be tricky to pair with chocolate because the oak influence on the Tequila can vary quite dramatically from quite light to pronounced. For lightly aged Tequilas, the white chocolate options suggested for Blancos should also work as will milk chocolate.

For Tequilas with more pronounced oak influences, look for dark chocolates whose deep, rich cocoa flavors complement the caramel, vanilla, oak, and spice notes typically found in aged Tequilas.

Salas suggests pairing a Riserva de la Familia Reposado with a 75% Dark Chocolate with Smoked Chili from Cielo Dentro to “experience a savory kick in addition to the Tequila’s notes of tropical fruit, clove and vanilla.”

Cielo Dentro is dedicated to showcasing the essence of Mexican cacao through its rich history and distinctive aromas and flavors. Their chocolate-making process is a small-scale, passionate endeavor focused on preserving the true character of Mexican cocoa.

Here are some additional high-quality dark chocolate brands that would pair well with a Reposado and other aged Tequilas.

Valrhona’s dark chocolate, known for its intense, rich flavors and smooth texture, pairs beautifully with Añejo and Extra Añejo Tequila. Varieties like Guanaja 70% or Caraïbe 66% provide deep cocoa flavors that complement the oak and caramel notes of the Tequila.

Lindt Excellence offers a range of high-quality dark chocolates, including 70%, 85%, and 90% cocoa bars. The balanced bitterness and subtle sweetness of Lindt’s dark chocolate can enhance the wood-induced flavors of aged Tequila.

Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate, especially their 70% and 85% bars, offers a rich and smooth flavor profile. The organic ingredients and balanced cocoa content make it a great match for the complexity of Reposado Tequila.

Michel Cluizel’s dark chocolate is known for its exceptional quality and refined taste. Varieties like their Noir de Cacao 72% or Mangaro 65% provide a luxurious experience that complements the nuanced flavors of aged Tequila.

Scharffen Berger’s dark chocolate bars, such as their 70% Bittersweet Dark Chocolate, are crafted from high-quality cacao beans. The intense cocoa flavor and slight fruitiness pair well with the smooth, aged characteristics of Reposado and other aged Tequilas.

Amedei’s dark chocolate, particularly their Toscano Black 70% and 90% bars, offers a complex and refined flavor profile. The high cocoa content and smooth texture make it a perfect companion for ultra-aged Tequila.

Taza Chocolate’s stone-ground dark chocolates, like their 70% Cacao Mexicano Dark, provide a unique texture and bold flavor. The slight grittiness and intense cocoa taste can enhance the earthy and spicy notes of Reposado Tequila.

Guittard’s dark chocolate, especially their 70% Cacao Quetzalcoatl or 74% Cacao L’Harmonie bars, offers a well-balanced bitterness and rich flavor that pairs nicely with the depth and complexity of well-aged Tequila.

In the case of Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo and other aged Tequilas, Salas recommends to pair the Tequila with citrus laced chocolate. He notes, however, that aged Tequilas “can pair with a variety of chocolate offerings, including complimentary dark chocolate pairing, or bolder contrasting choices, such as white chocolate and orange.”

Adds Salas, “to bring out and amplify Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo’s tasting notes of toasted almonds, vanilla and cinnamon, enjoy this Tequila with the brand’s own handcrafted fine chocolate.”

The Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo Chocolate with Tequila Infused Cacao uses the best Mexican cacao beans and infuses them with the Tequila to incorporate the flavors and aromas within the chocolate itself.

Per Salas, “if you’re interested in a more experimental pairing, try Taza Chocolate 70% Dark Orange Crunch Bar. The burst of bright orange flavor is an unexpected accompaniment to the Tequila’s complex notes of rich oak, toasted almonds, vanilla and cinnamon.”

Pairing chocolate with Añejo or Extra Añejo Tequila can be a luxurious and sophisticated experience, as the rich, complex flavors of these aged Tequilas complement the intense, nuanced characteristics of creamy, rich, and sometimes slightly sweet flavors of high-quality chocolate.

All the chocolates paired with reposado Tequilas will work equally well with Añejo and Extra Añejo Tequilas. In general, the more pronounced the oak influences on the Tequila, the more intensely flavored the chocolate you want to pair it with.

Creamy milk chocolate, although less intense, can also be paired with aged Tequilas. In addition, cask finished Tequilas, which are typically Añejo or Extra Añejo, can introduce a variety of additional aroma and flavor components, especially fruits and nuts, which also pair well with milk chocolate.

Reserva de la Familia Cristalino Tequila also pair well with chocolate. This Tequila, known for its clear appearance and smooth, refined flavor profile, is typically a charcoal filtered añejo or extra añejo Tequila that retains the complexity of aged Tequila while offering a clean and crisp finish. When pairing chocolate with Cristalino Tequila, you want to choose chocolates that can complement its smoothness and enhance its nuanced flavors. Either white, dark chocolate, or milk chocolate can pair with Cristalino Tequilas. Here are some recommendations.

Salas recommends Ki’ Xocolatl’s Semi-Bitter Dark Chocolate Bar to pair with Reserva de la Familia Añejo Cristalino Organico. According to Salas, “dark chocolate is the perfect match for aged Tequilas, creating a broader depth of flavor with the combination.” Ki’ Xocolatl’s Semi-Bitter Dark Chocolate Bar “balances this Cristalino’s sweet notes of cooked agave, honey, baked fruits, making it the ideal duo.”

Ki’ Xocolatl, meaning “rich delicious chocolate” in the Mayan and Nahuatl (Aztec) languages, creates chocolates with a focus on sustainability. It has been ranked by National Geographic as one of the top 10 best chocolate shops in the world.

Valrhona Jivara 40% is creamy and rich and offers a perfect balance to the smooth and clean notes of Cristalino Tequila. Try also the Ivoire 35%. The subtle sweetness and smooth finish of Valrhona’s white chocolate can enhance the elegant and refined flavors of Cristalino Tequila.

Lindt Excellence, Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate is smooth and creamy milk chocolate that complements the refined and elegant flavors of Cristalino Tequila. Try also the Lindt, Classic Recipe White Chocolate. The balanced vanilla notes in Lindt’s white chocolate pair beautifully with the smooth and sophisticated characteristics of Cristalino Tequila.

A little daring? Here are some unusual chocolates and aged Tequila/Cristalino pairings.

Compartés Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt, Milk Chocolate with Caramel offers artisanal chocolates with unique flavor combinations that can provide an interesting and delicious pairing with an aged Tequila.

Dandelion Chocolate, Single-Origin Dark Chocolates is known for their bean-to-bar approach, Dandelion’s single-origin dark chocolates offer distinct and complex flavors that can enhance the sophisticated caramel and vanilla notes of Cristalino Tequila.

TCHO, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate are high-quality chocolates whose balanced flavors and smooth textures, pair well with the refined and elegant characteristics of Cristalino Tequila.

Tequila and chocolate make an excellent pairing. Given the wide variety of Tequilas available and the broad array of chocolate, there is no shortage of possible and intriguing combinations and an opportunity to experience Tequila in a whole new way.