Penny Choose: Sweet Freedom Choc Shot
This week’s little Treat Under a Tenner is Sweet Freedom’s Choc Shot. This is a liquid product that you’ll find on the hot chocolate shelf of an increasing number of shops. It’s more versatile than that, though.
This is billed as ‘liquid chocolate’ but I think it would be more accurately described as a semi-sweet chocolatey syrup. If you drink hot chocolate mainly for the sugar hit this one isn’t for you, but if you like more intense, dark flavours then you’ll think it’s a real treat. I don’t have a massively sweet tooth and I like complex flavours, so it’s right up my street.
So, don’t go in expecting straightforward milk chocolate. It’s made from a mixture of apple, grape and carob extracts as well as cocoa, so there’s a hint of bitterness, a complete lack of sickly-sweetness, some lesser fruity notes and what tastes to me like a few tannins. While this is sold in the hot chocolate section, I really bought it for making knock-your-socks-off cafe mocha, mixed in with espresso and a little milk. You only need a teaspoon or two to give a standard-sized cup of coffee a real kick.
Does it make good hot chocolate? Yes, it does. Good for a chocolate/cocoa fix rather than a sugar rush though. The Choc Shot dissolves easily into hot drinks and there’s no faffing about with powdery lumps and suchlike. It’s very nice if you add it to warm almond milk too.
But there’s more. You can use it as a dark chocolate drizzle. For example:
- Porridge
- Icecream
- Fruit (very nice with berries, bananas, pears or figs)
- On toast
- On consenting adults
It says on the pack that you can also put it in milkshakes, but I haven’t tried that yet. And if that works then of course it would be the perfect less-sugary substitute for chocolate syrup in cocktails such as Mudslides and Chocolate Martinis. Yes, I know I threaten to put everything into a martini – but come on, it’s nearly Christmas. You know you want one.
The company that makes this product is more of a health food company than anything, and a big deal has been made about this product only being 14 calories per teaspoon. This equates to about 75% of the calories of other hot chocolate on a weight-for-weight basis, so it’s a bit less but not a huge difference. They also claim the natural sweetening in it has a lower glycaemic load and is diabetic-friendly as part of a healthy diet. My best guess is that it would be okay in moderation if their claims are true. It’s also dairy-free and suitable for vegans.
The squeezy bottle contains 320g of product, and most shops are currently selling it for around the £3.50 mark. Ocado is only charging £2.50 for a bottle this week, so I’ll be stocking up. You can also find Choc Shot at Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
Have you tried it yet? Think it would make a nice stocking filler?
