Brooklyn Cafe Taps Into "Beer Chocolate" Market
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Saint Patrick's Day is just around the corner and the Zagat guide is celebrating with some brew-inspired chocolates. NY1's Jon Weinstein filed the following report.Chocolate usually has a place at the table for most holidays, but around St. Patty's Day, people seem to be more about beer. The Zagat Food Lover's Guide has found a shop serving up a quirky combination of the two in the form of "Beer Chocolates" just in time for the toast.
Nunu Chocolates
529 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
917-776-7102
www.nunuchocolates.com
It's all about experimentation at Nunu Chocolates, a cozy cafe in Downtown Brooklyn, where husband and wife team Andy Laird and Justine Pringle create their candy concoctions based on what's currently "on tap" or in bottles. They say their ganache gets a boost by adding the brews.
"The beer sometimes adds to the chocolate other than the other way around. It just adds to the richness of the chocolate or it mellows the chocolate out," Pringle said.
"Some will have an element that completely pops out like a grapefruitiness to the hops in this Double IPA, or others where beer takes a back seat and just accentuates the chocolate. And you never know which beers are going to do that or what the results are gonna be, but that's what's fun," Laird said.
And that's not all the couple is cooking up, as they craft with other alcohols like Absinthe and Prosecco to teas like Earl Grey and Jasmine to ingredients like espresso for a caffeine kick and Mezcal chili to add some spice.
Their classic bestseller is the salt caramel and Zagat surveyors suggest no matter what you choose from Nunu's array of "handmade chocolates," your "sweet cravings" will be fulfilled. And their Ecole Chocolat-schooled chocolatiers credit their chemistry on good old-fashioned trial and error.
"I don't think any of our flavors have been deliberate, it's gone with how we feel about things as we go," Pringle said.
"It always surprises you. Things that you thought would just be a home run didn't work, they fizzled, and others really pop out with something kind of unique. So seeing what happens and letting the chocolate and the other ingredients kind of teach you the errors are still quite tasty," Laird said
As for the ratings, Nunu Chocolates received a 24 for quality and a 22 for display and service. The guide lists it as "E" for expensive.