The best chocolate margarita this side of Cancun...

Artisan du Chocolat, Westbourne Grove, London - this little dealer of happiness happens to be located right across the street from my friend Em's place, so a visit at happy hour was inevitable... The shop stocks several dozen types of chocolates (white, milk and dark bars, powders and pralines) with uncommon flavours such as black cardamom, sichuan pepper, saffron, mole chilli, tobacco, orchid or tonka bean. They also happen to have some pretty interesting cocktails and mocktails. A recommended stop for all chocoholics out there.

Theobroma grandiflorum Margarita

A frangrant and bittersweet Margarita made with exotic Cupuacu pulp and a hint of tonka beans. At first, a slightly alcoholic nose of tequila and green citrus. On the palate, slight bitterness from the cocoa and the astringent bite of the tequila, followed by a lingering and addictive nose of Tonka beans. Very interesting.

Each cocktail bought gives you a choice of 2 complimentary pralines or truffles to pick from the whole shop display - I chose tonka bean and sichuan pepper. Both flavours tasted very natural and paired very nicely with the smooth dark chocolate. The pralines came on top of a bed of caramelised crushed cocoa beans. Very nice touch.

The shop display @ L'Artisan - half of it actually, as this is only the left wall...

I bought myself a couple of treats from L'Artisan

Mole Chili dark chocolate - flavoured with mole poblano, which is a traditional mexican sauce combining ground nuts, dried chillies, ground tortilla, cocoa beans and various spices such as aniseed, coriander, allspice, clove and rosemary. At first, I could only taste the perfecty smooth and round dark chocolate, then came a pleasant warm chilli bite, followed by a symphony of spices. Wow... all of that in... 2.5 grams ?? (I took 1 small square and the whole bar is only 45 grams). Very intense and satisfying.

Origin Dark Bali drinking chocolate - these come in their little "medicine" jars from a variety of origins around Asia, Africa and South-America (Bali, Vietnam, Costa Rica...). I cannot pretend to be able to taste the difference between various origins, so all I would say about the Bali "cru" is that it was a perfectly balanced dark chocolate, deeply roasted and with an almost smokey finish. Very enjoyable indeed.