Dairy Cocktail Recipes

My parents were pretty strict with alcohol consumption through my teenage years. The two exceptions were wine during Shabbat meals (though I was limited to one glass) and any cream liqueur. For some reason, Godiva Chocolate and Irish cream liqueurs didn’t count as alcohol, since they were so rich and in my mother’s opinion, you could only drink it in a glass, on ice, at times when you wanted to indulge.

The issue with these creamy libations is that for most Kosher-observing families, opportunities to drink a dairy cocktail are rare, unless the kids are asleep and you have an hour of free time to rest. Thankfully, Shavuot is right around the corner, so here are some ideas for dairy cocktails that I encourage you to try!

For the coffee lovers:

• During dessert, serve coffee with an assortment of liqueurs! Coffee goes great with Godiva chocolate and white chocolate liqueur, Kahlua, Amaretto and a variety of Creamy Liquers. Mix and match, or choose just one to spice up your coffee. Avoid adding in more than 1 ½ ounces total—you don’t want to go overboard.
• Make your own Irish Cream with this recipe inspired from Chef Shaya for a Kosher Irish Cream.

For the kids at heart:

• Chocolate Milk: Have a grown-up version of chocolate milk! Add 2 ounces of chocolate liqueur to 3 ounces of your favorite milk. Alternatively, you can use crème de bananes or white crème de cacao.

• Sundae: Poor 1-2 ounces of any thick cream liqueur over ice cream, and top with a maraschino cherry. Grown-up ice cream sundaes!

For a cold, creamy cocktail:

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• Spiked Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Milkshake! (Not for Sabbath/Holiday, but still delicious) In a blender, place 1 cup of ice, 1 ½ ounces cream or whole milk, 2 ounces chocolate liqueur, 1 teaspoon of cream cheese, and a dash of grenadine.
• Spiked Iced Coffee: Fill a tall glass with ice, then add 4 ounces of milk, 1 ½ ounces of coffee (or espresso for an iced latte), and 1 ½ ounces Irish Cream.
• Caramel Freezer: Fill a tall glass with ice, then add 1 ounce each of: Irish Cream, Kahlua, and butterscotch schnapps. Fill the rest of the glass with cold milk.