Dulce de Leche Cocktail

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
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Updated on 04/11/21
Dulce de Leche Cocktail in a glass

The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner
Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
199 Calories
4g Fat
20g Carbs
2g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 199
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 12%
Cholesterol 8mg 3%
Sodium 30mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 19g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 69mg 5%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 98mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This dulce de leche recipe is Bacardi Rum's recreation of a cocktail found in "Guys and Dolls." It was created for the 2009 revival of the popular Broadway musical. If you like thick chocolate martini style of drinks it's rather pleasant, though it's not to everyone's liking.

This drink can easily be mistaken for a "milkshake," primarily due to the sweet chocolate liqueur (Godiva Dark Chocolate) and the sweetened condensed milk (rarely seen in mixed drinks). It relates to one of the musical's most well-known scenes in which Sarah Brown gets a "bit" tipsy on the drink. Sky Masterson leads her to believe that it is simply "sweet milk" and that Bacardi is a "preservative." It's quite funny but a rather devious trick to play on someone who doesn't drink!

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce rum

  • 1/2 ounce chocolate liqueur

  • 1/2 ounce sweetened condensed milk

  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon, for garnish

  • Shaved chocolate, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Dulce de Leche Cocktail ingredients in bowls

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  2. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour the rum, chocolate liqueur, and sweetened condensed milk.

    Ice, pour the rum, chocolate liqueur, and sweetened condensed milk in a cocktail shaker

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  3. Shake well.

    Dulce de Leche Cocktail in a cocktail shaker

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

    Dulce de Leche Cocktail strained into a cocktail glass

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  5. Garnish with a pinch of cinnamon and chocolate shavings on top. Serve and enjoy.

    Dulce de Leche Cocktail in a cocktail glass, garnished with cinnamon and chocolate shavings

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

Tips

  • If sweetened condensed milk is too rich for your taste, use one of the more common dairy cocktail ingredients as a substitute. Milk or cream are good choices, or you can split the difference and use half and half.
  • Since Bacardi created this recipe, it is the recommended brand. Any rum will do. Typically, you'll want to stick with a light (or white) rum.
  • A chilled cocktail glass will make this drink more enjoyable. If you don't have one pre-chilled, place a couple of ice cubes in the glass while you shake up the drink. Discard it before straining.

Recipe Variation

Is there an original dulce de leche cocktail or was it simply the playwrights' creative license? This question has a bit of a mystery behind it and it was revived along with the musical. Bartending guides from the 1950s make no mention of it. However, Eric Felton, author of the 2007 book "How's Your Drink?" (an in-depth look at the history of some iconic cocktails), did some digging into it for The Wall Street Journal.

Felton was able to find a similar cocktail called the Doncellita (Spanish for "little lady" or "maiden"—a rough translation). It was popular in 1950's Havana and is simply 2 ounces of crème de cacao topped with 1/2 ounce of heavy cream then adorned with a cherry. There's no shaking or mixing, but you will need to pour the cream over the chocolate liqueur using a bar spoon to ensure it floats.

How Strong Is a Dulce de Leche?

As Sarah Brown quickly discovered, the dulce de leche is not a weak drink. When made with the recommended spirits, it shakes up to about 19 percent ABV (38 proof). While that's normal for martini-style drinks, the sweet "milkshake" taste can trick you into drinking one too many.