Oh my gosh, guys – I am not a big drinker, but The Dirty Snowman Cocktail might just cure that! You can see just by the pics it’s amazing!
And while I tried and sampled my Dirty Snowman Cocktails a few times this winter (See, I’m just taking a hit for the team, and oh what I won’t do for you guys!) I have decided that this is gonna be a wonderful Christmas, New Year, and Valentine’s Day cocktail. Or maybe just a fab anytime you’re sitting around the fireplace cocktail!
About The Dirty Snowman:
The first thing to know about the Dirty Snowman – it is def a dessert in the guise of a cocktail. And it is def a girly cocktail.
It’s full of all things sweet and is really an alcoholic hot chocolate. There’s hot chocolate, there’s ice cream, whipped cream, and three (yeah count ’em) three different liqueurs.) That would be Baileys, Kahlua & Creme de Cacao. Oh, and don’t forget the garnish of chocolate syrup and chocolate shavings or chocolate sprinkles.
This cocktail is over the top in every way possible! Luckily the blend of liqueurs isn’t super high in alcohol content and honestly, I don’t think anyone could toss back more than one or two of these! They may very well be “self-limiting.”
If you have kiddos, consider making them a mocktail version. Just know that these do have a tendency to get a little messy!
Making The Dirty Snowman:
I always have a few lids from cottage cheese, yogurt, and so on in my silverware drawer. I use them for slicing items like cherry tomatoes. Layer the tomatoes on an upside-down lid, and place another lid over the top, right side up. Place your hand over the top lid and run a knife through the center and easy peasy – tomatoes sliced.
But I digress – a couple of lids like this make the perfect place to drizzle the chocolate syrup so the rim of the glass can be coated and a base to place chocolate sprinkles or shavings.
This brings me to the start of the cocktail. It’s best to make these cocktails one by one and consume them quickly. Garnish your glass with chocolate sauce and sprinkles first. Then add in ice cream, pour on the liqueurs, and top with hot chocolate. You can make your own hot chocolate or just use a mix. With so much going on, I don’t think it really matter as far as taste goes which you do.
Next, add the whipping cream and shaved chocolate or any chocolate sprinkles – those are always my picks. Perfect, I think, with a colorful paper straw (you might have to trim those).
If you want to get creative, though, you can “theme” your Dirty Snowman. Maybe silver and blue sprinkles with a blue striped straw for New Year’s. For Valentine’s, maybe little mini hearts and either a pink and white or red and white theme. You do you!!
The Dirty Snowman
Making The Dirty Snowman For a Crowd:
If planning on making these for several people, do a couple of things to help speed everything along.
- Scoop ice cream and place the balls on a parchment-lined sheet pan in the freezer. Make as many balls as you think you’ll need using a ball for each cocktail. Freeze them ahead so they freeze hard.
- Make a pot of hot chocolate, either homemade or from a mix. and make sure the pot has a pouring spout. How much depends entirely on the size of your glasses. 1 packet of hot chocolate will make around 2 or 3 cocktails.
- Each cocktail will need about 4 1/2 ounces total (a jigger each) liqueur. For ease of measurement, 1/4 cup is close enough. You can mix up enough of the alcohol and then just measure out the 1/4 cup for each glass.
- In this case, to make ahead as much as possible, and to make it easy, do use the whipping cream in a can; a little pricier but far more doable than homemade.
Saving Money on Ingredients:
- It really does pay to be on an email sales list at your fave liquor store. You’ll probably find the best sales on these fancy liqueurs around holidays and often stores have a big blowout sale in late February to early March.
- Sub in cheaper versions or knockoffs of any of the liqueurs in this recipe. I know there are versions of the Baileys (Irish Cream), and Kahlua; (Coffee Liqueur) and more inexpensive versions of Creme de Cacao (Chocolate Liqueur). I have two recipes for homemade Baileys on my site. One simple Baileys and one that is Baileys Reverse Engineered.
- Ice cream is on sale frequently; sometimes it seems that brands are rotated and go on sale in succession. Be flexible and use whatever is on sale. There is so much going on in these cocktails that no one will notice the difference in quality if you go cheaper.
- It’s so much cheaper to whip up your own whipped cream; this is one case where the fuss and bother are almost too much! Do watch for the whipped cream in the can to be on sale around any holiday.
The Dirty Snowman
Dirty Snowman Cocktail
- Yield: varies
- Category: beverages
Ingredients
For each cocktail
- chocolate syrup (to rim glass and for garnish)
- sprinkles or chocolate shavings (to rim glass and for garnish)
- vanilla ice cream (1 scoop)
- 1 jigger (1 1/2 ounces Kahlua
- 1 jigger (1 1/2 ounces) Baileys
- 1 jigger (1 1/2 ounces) Creme de Cacao
- hot chocolate (to fill glass)
- whipped cream (to top glass)
Instructions
Place sprinkles and chocolate syrup in small shallow containers, just a bit larger than the tops of your glasses. Dip each glass in the chocolate syrup then in the sprinkles.
Add a scoop of ice cream to the glass, top with a jigger each of the three liqueurs. Add hot chocolate to come to nearly the top of the glass.
Garnish with whipped cream, more chocolate syrup, and more sprinkles or shaved chocolate as desired.
Keywords: Alcohol, Bailey's, Beverages, chocolate syrup, cocktail, Cream, creme de cacao, hot chocolate, Ice cream, kahlua, whipped cream
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