Yoo-Hoo Martinis Make Your Favorite Childhood Drink A Boozy Beverage
The year is 1997. You're sitting at your desk in Social Studies class, watching the hands on the clock. At long last, your teacher declares snack time. You reach into the oversized pocket of your favorite FUBU jeans and pull out a can of Yoo-hoo and a packet of Dunkaroos. Fast-forward 26 years, and you're sitting at your desk at work, waiting for the clock to strike five. When it does, you pull your keys from the oversized pocket of your favorite FUBU jeans and head home. Turning on the news, you learn the world is on fire. You walk over to your bar cart, crack open a can of Yoo-hoo and a bottle of vodka, fix yourself a cocktail, and think to yourself, "The '90s are back, baby!"
Yoo-hoo may have been invented in the 1920s, but it's '90s kids who stake a claim on the cherished chocolate-flavored drink. So, in the midst of a full-on '90s revival, it's no surprise that bummed-out millennials have adult-ified the beloved beverage of their childhood with the addition of booze.
Originally marketed as a healthy alternative to soft drinks, the subtly sweet beverage made with water, high fructose corn syrup, whey, and a handful of vitamins makes for a surprisingly satisfying mixer. In his cocktail book "Saved by the Bellini & Other '90s-Inspired Cocktails," John Debary introduced the Yoo-hoo Crag, a martini featuring the famous chocolate-flavored drink and absinthe, an intense, anise-flavored spirit.
Different ways to pair Yoo-hoo and booze
While a mere whiff of Yoo-hoo laced with absinthe would likely have sent you running the other direction in 1997, your grown-up self is sure to love it. Yoo-hoo's sweetness brings some much-needed subtlety to the licorice-heavy flavor of absinthe, while the spirit's herbaceous nature simultaneously works to elevate Yoo-hoo's chocolatey notes, creating an elegantly balanced cocktail.
If absinthe doesn't tickle your fancy, you might try a Yoo-hoo martini with nuttier notes. When you combine the chocolatey Yoo-hoo with nutty liqueurs like amaretto and nocello — flavored with almonds and walnuts, respectively — it has all the makings of a perfect after-dinner drink. For a boozier bite, vodka can also be added. You can even make it a morning martini with the addition of a coffee-flavored liqueur, like Kahlúa!
As if the holidays weren't nostalgic enough, there's even a Yoo-hoo martini that's sure to send all the '90s babies at your holiday party spinning like light-up tops. Crafted with Yoo-hoo, vodka, Irish cream, creme de cocoa, and peppermint schnapps, this martini rimmed with crushed candy canes is like Christmas in a (rather ineffectual) cup.