If you love passion fruit, just as much as I do, this bottle is heaven-sent. I remember the first time I had passion fruit in a cocktail was on a beach outside of Rio, on an oyster mussel farm. We made fresh passion fruit caipirinhas with our toes in the sand, and it’s a taste and experience I will never forget. What is packaged here in Chinola’s bottle totally captures a tropical experience. 

Chinola is estate grown and hand-crafted to perfection. The essence of passion fruit’s tangy goodness comes perfectly packaged in this bottle, giving you the freedom to add its unique flavor to cocktails, and desserts alike. Made in the Dominican Republic with the island’s favorite fruit, you could not get a fresher expression. Feel free to experiment—try adding a splash to prosecco at your next brunch gathering, or in a hot toddy (see below) Check out a chef’s take on bread pudding, and a twist on tiramisu. 

Hot Butter Chinola

(photo at the top of this post) A twist on the rum classic and welcome cold-weather drink. 

Make the Chinola butter:

4 CUPS powdered white sugar
1 tsp allspice
1 whole nutmeg, grated
12 oz Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur
2 sticks butter
1 pint vanilla ice cream
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In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and ice cream. Add sugar and whisk until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients, and whisk until combined. Makes enough for 16 servings.

Make the cocktail:

2 oz Chinola butter
1 oz Coconut Cartel Rum
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
5 oz hot water
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Combine Chinola butter, rum and bitters in a heat-safe mug. Top with hot water and garnish with a slice of fruit and fresh grated nutmeg.

Chinola Golden Raisin Bread Pudding

Recipe by Chef Roger Rodríguez, Vesta Chocolate. Chef’s Note: Day-old/dried bread soaks up the custard better than fresh bread, resulting in a flavor-packed delicious dessert. If you do not have old bread, best to dry it in the oven. The photos above show the finished bread pudding, plus a close up of the golden raisins macerating. 

Serves 6-8

PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS:

1/4 CUP golden raisins
3/4 CUPS Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur
8 oz challah bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (half of a typical challah loaf)
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In a glass bowl, soak the raisins with about 3/4 cup of Chinola (enough to generously cover the raisins). Cover and set aside to macerate for a minimum of 4 hours but preferably overnight at room temperature.

If your bread is fresh, lay out the bread cubes on a tray to slightly dry up, about 6 hours, or bake them at 350F for 10-12 minutes.

PREPARE THE CUSTARD:

2 CUPS whole milk
1 oz butter
1 1/3 CUP cream
10 oz sugar
—
1 egg yolk
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
ice bath
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In a saucepan, over medium-low heat, gently heat up the milk, cream, butter, and sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved. Make sure to stir constantly to keep the mixture from scorching at the bottom.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolk, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined (place the bowl on top of a kitchen towel to keep it from sliding while whisking). Slowly stream in the warm milk mixture into the eggs while vigorously whisking. This will prevent eggs from curdling. Cool the custard over an ice bath. 

BAKE IT… PREHEAT OVEN 325ºF: 

butter to grease baking dish
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1 1/4 CUPS Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur
cooled custard
—
Chinola-soaked raisins
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Butter a 13×8 baking dish. Add Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur into the cooled custard, mix and set aside.

Add the cubed challah bread to the buttered baking dish. Lightly pour 2/3 of the Chinola-soaked raisins and toss with the bread cubes. Next, pour the Chinola custard mixture into the dish, and gently toss the bread cubes to ensure they are well soaked. Scatter the remaining third of the Chinola-soaked raisins over the top. Save the macerated liquid for later.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the custard is set but still wobbly. 

TO SERVE: 

Let it cool slightly before serving (it can be served warm or cold, depending on your preference). Drizzle with the remaining raisin-soaked Chinola liquid.

Top with your favorite vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, and sprinkle some cacao nibs for a flavorful crunch (optional).

Chinola Tiramisú

Created by Chef Roger Rodríguez, Vesta Chocolate. Chef’s Note: Tempering is a method of combining two ingredients that are at two different temperatures to create a stable base. To avoid ending up with scrambled eggs, make sure you pour in the hot liquid slowly while whisking quickly. You’ll need four stemless wine glasses for serving.

Serves 4

START THE DESSERT:

4 eggs
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1 CUP Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur, divided
1 CUP sugar
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9 oz butter, cubed and at room temperature
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In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until they are even in color. 

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add 1/3 cup Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur and the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook just enough for the sugar to fully dissolve. Remove from the heat.

Slowly pour the Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur mixture into the eggs, whisking vigorously, until it is smooth. Return the mixture back to the saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

Transfer the curd to a narrow and tall container. Add the butter. Blend it with an immersion blender (if you don’t have an immersion blender, a food processor can be used instead). Add 1/3 cup Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and put plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture to keep it from forming a skin. Refrigerate until the curd is chilled.  

ASSEMBLE THE DESSERT:

wine glasses
chilled curd
28 lady finger cookies, cut in half
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To assemble, in a stemless wine glass layer the Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur curd with the pieces of lady fingers, ending with a cookie layer. Garnish with a generous drizzle of Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur. Enjoy immediately.

photos courtesy Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur