Mars bar liqueur is a fun and inventive take on creamy chocolate liqueurs. It combines the flavours of milk chocolate, caramel and nougat with a drop of alcohol to create a vodka cream liqueur that is truly unique.
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This creamy Mars bar liqueur is part of a mini-series of chocolate bar-themed liqueurs that I am creating. This libation embraces the chocolate, caramel and nougat elements of this much-loved sweet treat and transforms it into a sweet and creamy tipple.
This Mars bar recipe is fun and frivolous. The resulting chocolate caramel liqueur is a great serve at parties during the festive season and beyond. It also makes a lovely gift.
Don’t miss my other chocolate bar-themed drinks. There’s chocolate orange liqueur and After Eight mint liqueur ready and waiting to tempt you. And stay tuned for the next instalment -why not sign up to my emails so you don’t miss out?
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick & easy – expect it to be ready in around 15 minutes.
- Taste: the flavour of Mars Bars is unmistakable. There’s chocolate, caramel and nougat directly from the melted Mars bars but of course a boozy buzz too.
- Fun: melted Mars Bars combined with alcohol – it has to be a good thing.
- Unique: this homemade Mars Bar liqueur is not available in the supermarket. It therefore makes for a brilliant and distinctive gift for the grown-up chocoholic in your life.
What are Mars bars?
I’m extremely confident that most readers will at least know what a Mars bar is and that the majority will have tried one or two over the years. However, if you are one of the few wondering what the star ingredient in this Mars bar recipe is, here goes:
- Mars bars are confectionary bars consisting of milk chocolate, caramel and nougat.
- Forrest Mars created this sweet treat way back in 1932.
- Mars bars are British – they were first manufactured in Slough, Berkshire. They are still made in this location to this day.
Note: In the US the Mars bar goes by the name of Milky Way, which is a little confusing to we Brits since we have another chocolate bar called Milky Way which has a light nougat centre and no caramel. In the US this bar is known as 3 Musketeers. Hmmm, a little confusing!
Ingredients notes
Chocolate: 2 standard-sized (51g) British Mars bars are used to create the perfect blend of caramel, nougat and chocolate in this creamy liqueur recipe. If you are in the US use Milky Way bars.
Caramel syrup: only a small amount is needed but it does help ensure that the caramel notes are robust enough to shine through against the additional backdrop flavours including chocolate, nougat and alcohol. Use homemade caramel syrup or buy a bottle. I used (paid link) Monin.
Cream: you’ll need single cream (runny cream) with a fat content of around 18% for this recipe.
Alcohol: you’ll need vodka – I used (paid link) Absolut.
Condensed milk: This helps create rich & mellow sweetness, but only a little is needed as the chocolate bars are already very sweet.
Milk: a splash of whole milk stops this Mars bar liqueur from being too thick. You can adjust the amount depending how thick you would like your drink to be.
Step by step instructions
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Heat 100ml of the cream to hot but not boiling. Chop the chocolate bars and add them to the pan.
Step 2. Let the contents of the pan sit for a minute and then whisk until the chocolate has melted.
Step 3. Stir in the rest of the cream, condensed milk, caramel syrup and milk. Then stir in the vodka.
Step 4. Strain your liqueur through a fine-meshed sieve (or a nut bag) and decant the liqueur into bottles.
Expert Tips
- The cream will split if it comes into contact with even just a trace of something acidic such as citrus juice or vinegar. For this reason, make sure that all of your equipment and the bottle that the liqueur will be stored in are scrupulously clean.
- To ensure that your drink is smooth strain it through a nut bag or a fine-meshed sieve to catch any stray chunks of nougat that refuse to melt completely.
- As the drink sits in the fridge some of the chocolate will settle at the bottom of the bottle. Give it a firm shake for around 30 seconds before pouring.
Frequently asked questions
Return the saucepan to the hob on the lowest heat setting. Stir the mixture continuously to help break down the chocolate. Do not let the mixture boil.
If your Mars bar liqueur splits (curdles) this means that it has come into contact with something acidic. Likely culprits are citrus juice or vinegar.
For this reason, it is a good idea to re-wash the utensils and the bottle the liqueur will be stored in before starting this recipe to ensure that they are scrupulously clean.
This vodka cream liqueur must be stored in the fridge as it contains cream and milk. It will stay fresh for at least 4 weeks.
I do not recommend this as the peanuts will not melt and therefore add little to the final flavour of your drink.
Serving suggestions
Your Mars bar liqueur needs to be stored in the fridge so you can pour it into a small glass and enjoy a serving neat. It can also be served in a large glass over ice (on the rocks).
Here are a few garnish ideas:
- A slice of Mars Bar – wedge it onto the side of your glass.
- Miniature Mars bar – carefully thread a miniature bar (from a pack of Celebrations chocolates) onto a cocktail pick.
- Whipped cream – you could get away with topping your liqueur with some whipped cream and garnishing it with flaked chocolate. One for the indulgent temperaments amongst us… (who me?)
This vodka cream liqueur is also delicious poured over ice cream – try vanilla, chocolate, coffee, pistachio, caramel or salted caramel ice creams.
More creamy liqueurs to make
If this Mars bar recipe has piqued your interest in homemade cream liqueurs try the following ones too:
Have you made this recipe for Mars bar liqueur? Please give the recipe a rating or leave a comment – I love to hear how you get along with my creations.
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📖 Recipe
Mars Bar Liqueur
Ingredients
- 102 g Mars bars 2 x 51g bars (standard size)
- 150 ml Single cream 18% fat
- 2 tablespoons Whole milk full-fat
- 1 tablespoons Condensed milk sweetened
- 5 ml Caramel syrup
- 100 ml Vodka
Instructions
- Heat 100ml of the cream to hot but not boiling. Chop the chocolate bars and add them to the pan.102 g Mars bars
- Let the contents of the pan sit for a minute and then whisk until the chocolate has melted. If pieces of the Mars bar refuse to melt return the pan to the heat on the lowest heat setting and stir continuously. Do not let the mixture boil.150 ml Single cream
- Mix in the condensed milk, the rest of the cream, the caramel syrup and the milk.2 tablespoons Whole milk, 1 tablespoons Condensed milk
- Add the vodka. Stir well.100 ml Vodka
- Strain your liqueur through a fine-meshed sieve (or a nut bag) and decant the chocolate cream liqueur into a bottle.
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Notes
- The cream will split if it comes into contact with even just a trace of something acidic such as citrus juice or vinegar. For this reason, make sure that all of your equipment and the bottle that the liqueur will be stored in are scrupulously clean.
- To ensure that your drink is smooth strain it through a nut bag or a fine-meshed sieve to catch any stray chunks of nougat that refuse to melt completely.
- As the drink sits in the fridge some of the chocolate will settle at the bottom of the bottle. Give it a firm shake for around 30 seconds before pouring.
Jane Coupland
This is such a fun recipe and my taste testers were overjoyed with it – I hope you enjoy it too.