When whisky says "yes" to chocolate

While spirits have fallen out of favor with pastry chefs and even chocolatiers in recent decades, this year sees their return to favor. Liqueurs are not used as preservatives, and the best of them are selected to join chocolate and pastry. Here, whisky is paired with chocolate, gently revealing all the facets of these two ingredients. Gault&Millau shares five of its finest tastings.

Le Charles de Gaulle, Jean-Paul Hévin, Paris

In keeping with his savoir-faire, Jean-Paul Hévin has imagined the Charles de Gaulle, a travel cake in which he combines Grand Cru chocolate from Venezuela with an almond cocoa cookie punched with smoked whisky. The cocoa bean crispness contrasts with the lightness of the chocolate mousse and the softness of the cookie. Unusually, this cake can't be bought in-store, but only ordered on the website, because let's not forget, this shippable cake is an invitation to travel!
► www.jeanpaulhevin.com

©JPHévin, ©StudioDesFleurs

Whisky chocolate bar, Jean-Philippe Darcis, Verviers, Belgium

A bar with character. The roasted beans are matured for 2 months in a local Belgian Owl whisky, whose barley comes from sustainable Belgian agriculture (100 kg of beans for 100 liters of whisky). The first impression is not of alcohol, but of full-bodied fruity fragrances, delicate floral notes and nutty aromas as the tasting progresses. There's none of the peaty power of some whiskies, but plenty of sweetness and fruity notes that prolong the tasting experience. A rare bar to be found ephemerally on the e-shop.
► www.darcis.com

©DR, ©LFau

Chocolate-whisky tart, Léandre Vivier, Le Burgundy, Paris

After a trip to Scotland, Le Baudelaire 's young pastry chef inspired by smoky, peaty Scotch whiskies imagines an incredible tart with unexpected pairings and texture. " I chose to make a very crisp chocolate croissant dough, into which I placed a Colombian chocolate cream flavored with Laphroaig whisky. When baked, this baked cream takes on a texture reminiscent of flans" , a natural balance is struck between the alcohol and the chocolate, which soothes the powerful notes of the whisky, leaving only the aromatic side. Even non-whisky lovers will be tempted!
►www.leburgundy.com/fr

©LeBurgundy

Japanese whisky chocolates, Pierre Marcolini, Brussels and Paris

For its new autumn-winter collection, the chocolatier is launching a box of chocolate bonbons scented with some of the most legendary Japanese whiskies in the land of the rising sun. The six bonbons feature a double texture of caramel and praline, highlighting each of the chosen spirits. Our favorites include a sweet whisky with notes of honey (togouchi kiwami), a whisky caramel with notes of grapefruit and peppermint (suntory toki) and four other interpretations, each made with a precious old whisky. A toast!
► www.eu.marcolini.com

©DR, ©NicolasBuisson

Tablette Alchimie, Nicolas Cloiseau x Benjamin Kuentz, Paris

Nicolas Cloiseau of La Maison du Chocolat and Benjamin Kuentz, publisher of French whisky, set out to shake up the codes of the chocolate-spirits association. Their goal: to offer a chocolate bar with whisky notes, but without whisky. To meet their challenge, they set up a game of taste transfer. The chocolate, melted at 50°C, is poured into an oak barrel that has contained the whisky, so that it can absorb its taste for three weeks. To accompany the chocolate, Benjamin Kuentz created a whisky liqueur. This time, the whisky joins the chocolate barrel to absorb its aromas. A square to savor with the beverage to intensify all its aromas.
► www.lamaisonduchocolat.com

©LaurentRouvrais, ©ThomasDhellemmes