Choc It Up
Cigars and Rum in Chocolate Form

You probably already knew this, but it’s International Chocolate Day.

So gather ’round the chocolate tree, put up your St. Hershey stockings and come all ye cacao-loving for a tale of indulgence and boozy confection... starring you.

It starts with the stateside arrival of Emanuel Andrén Chocolates, liquor- and cigar-infused truffles made by a fifth-generation Swedish chocolatier, available now.

Some history: in 1868, a man started a bakery and confectionary in a remote part of Sweden. Today, his great-great-great-grandson, Emanuel, has brought it to America (and the Internet). He was on the 2006 Swedish National Culinary Team (yes, he took your spot), and has some other honors you’d be shocked to know exist.

The chocolates in question include truffles infused with rum, scotch, apple brandy and, yes, Zino Platinum cigar with rum. The stogie truffles actually leave a lingering smoky flavor in your mouth and the hint of throat scratchiness that only a century and a half of confection-making can (we assume). They’re also hand-painted by Emanuel himself.

So let’s say you find yourself on a calfskin pillow astride a five-tusked, gold-plated elephant traversing the Levant, and your onboard molecular gastronomic tasting menu is reaching its crescendo. (Hey, it could happen.) At that moment, you’re going to want something refined to finish it off.

This is exactly how Emanuel envisioned it.