Cocoa with Nut Liqueur

Cocoa with Nut Liqueur in the Style of the Roaring Twenties

Sasse's Cocoa with Nut Liqueur is a nut liqueur from the Münsterland region with 30% ABV, in which cocoa beans and hazelnuts are combined into a distillate. Chocolaty, nutty, bittersweet – a combination that has long been familiar from spreads.

Cocoa with Nut Liqueur is a natural liqueur from the Sasse craft distillery in Schöppingen: cocoa beans and nuts are processed together into a distillate and bottled at 30% ABV, available in a 700-milliliter bottle or as a small 200-milliliter version. Both ingredients are genuinely present – consequently, nut is listed as an allergen on the label.

Cocoa and nut – everyone knows this from the breakfast table, yet the combination in a glass is still surprising. Where the spread becomes sweet and heavy, the liqueur remains lean and tart, as the distillate takes the lead here.

Dark Cocoa Meets Roasted Hazelnut

On the palate, the Cocoa with Nut Liqueur exhibits dark cocoa notes and the round spice of roasted hazelnuts, carried by a tart sweetness with a long finish.

Tart, nutty, deep – the cocoa bean provides a dark chocolate edge, the hazelnut settles softly on top, and the 30% ABV provides the structure. The two get along brilliantly: neither pushes to the front, and in the end, exactly the note you know from a fine nougat praline remains.

What is striking is how dry it remains. It belongs to Sasse’s range of natural liqueurs, which highlight the raw ingredients more than sweetness – the cocoa is allowed to retain its bitterness here. That is why it also holds its own at the end of a long dinner.

Neat, on Ice, or in a Long Drink

The Cocoa with Nut Liqueur is enjoyed neat at room temperature, on ice, or as a base for long drinks and desserts.

At Sasse, they like to mix it like this: 30 ml Cocoa with Nut, 20 ml Münsterländer Lagerkorn V.S.O.P., and 10 ml fresh lemon juice over four to five ice cubes in a long drink glass, top up with Bitter Lemon, and garnish with a twist of lemon zest. It sounds unusual, but it is surprisingly good – the lemon lifts the cocoa out of its heaviness.

Poured over vanilla ice cream, it recreates a nougat praline, and in an espresso, it turns into an after-dinner dessert. If you prefer something more caramelly, reach for the Butterscotch Liqueur; further varieties can be found among the Sasse Liqueurs.

A Distillate for the Roaring Twenties

Sasse calls its natural liqueurs its "natural talents," and this one is the time traveler among them – the style of the 1920s serves as the inspiration.

Back then, bars between Berlin and Paris mixed with whatever had aromatic character, and cocoa was part of it. Instead of adding artificial flavorings, the distillery combines the raw materials into a distillate – that is the difference between a natural liqueur and an off-the-shelf recipe.

It is distilled in Schöppingen, where a distillery has stood since 1707 and Rüdiger Sasse manages the house in the 15th generation. At the World Spirits Award in 2025, the distillery was the only grain distillery in Germany to be named a World-Class Distillery – one of 18 worldwide. The fact that the same address also crafts a liqueur for the Roaring Twenties shows how broad their vision is.

It Replaces Any Chocolate Topping

Serve it at room temperature, as this is when the cocoa and nut stand out most clearly – on ice, it becomes fresher and leaner. Drizzled over vanilla ice cream, it replaces any chocolate topping, and with a splash in an espresso, you won't need any more sugar. The small 200-milliliter bottle is well-suited for a first taste or as a gift. Once opened and stored in a cool place, it will keep for many months.