So many people admit to being chocoholics that I thought it might be fun to give some of my festive drinks a chocolate twist this year.

I was partly inspired to do this when a large book — Couture Chocolate: a Master-class in Chocolate (Jacqui Small, £30) — arrived at my cottage as an early Christmas gift. As the award-winning author William Curley has been the recipient of the Best British Chocolatier Award for the past four years, many of the recipes he features are so complex that all I can do is drool at the amazing photographs. That said, it does include a chapter on unusual chocolate drinks, including a white chocolate Martini served in saucer-shaped champagne glasses that have first been decorated with squiggles of chocolate, then chilled to enable the chocolate to set before the Martini is added. The result is a really trendy and worthy of any festive party.

Thorntons, the popular chocolate company, have brought out a chocolate liqueur to complement their range. It is a scrumptious smooth chocolate drink, which tastes superb when drunk over ice. It livens up a dish of ice cream, too. In other words it is a chocoholic’s dream.

Mix together a touch of orange, real Devonshire cream and apple brandy — as a retired stockbroker in Devon has done. The result is a simply luscious drink, which like so many chocolate liqueurs is best served straight from the fridge. This glorious mix makes a chocolate orange cream liqueur that can be ordered from www.demijohn.co.uk in attractive little bottles sized 100ml upwards.

Real ale and stout enthusiasts don’t have to miss out on the chocolate experience during Christmas. There are several splendid brews created from chocolate malt that fit the bill perfectly. Chocolate malt does not contain chocolate. It is roasted for longer and at a slightly higher temperature than other malts, which enables it to impart a nutty roasted flavour to the beer which, when combined with premium ale malts and bittered with blend of hops, produces a complex flavoursome drink with an aroma of chocolate.

The Welsh brewery Brains, which has been brewing for more than 130 years, produce Brains Original Stout — a classic full-bodied stout that gives off a superb chocolate aroma as it’s poured and gets the gastric juices going in seconds. Brains also brew a treacle-coloured Dark Mild Ale, a smooth velvety drink that is also created from chocolate malt. What you get from the mild ale, though, is a finish that comes with hints of liquorice and freshly-ground coffee.

The Dark Star Brewing Company from Sussex goes one step further with its Espresso, which is made by adding freshly ground Arabica coffee beans to achieve the espresso flavour for which it is known. This makes for a great Christmas drink, too.

When exploring the world of chocolate drinks I discovered a non-alcoholic chocolate drink to die for: Ian Burnett’s Chocolate Truffle Ganache which comes in a round jar and looks something like the chocolate spread of my childhood. But don’t be fooled. This is no ordinary mix; it is pure chocolate truffle in a jar. While it can certainly be used as a spread, it is best when melted and drunk as a hot-chocolate for the perfect Christmas goodnight drink. Ian, who has become known as the Highland Chocolatier, also creates truffles that have taken him several years to perfect from fresh Scottish ingredients. These really do exceed the standard truffle. Actually, it is difficult to describe the sensual thrill that comes from tasting his little cube-shaped fresh cream truffles; they are so rich that two are usually enough at one sitting. Let’s just say that a silence will probably descend on the Christmas table when you hand them round and the guests experience the glorious truffle taste that is melting on their tongues (www.highlandchocolatier.com).

Bottle Green has come up with a range of hot cordials for the festive season. They are not chocolate drinks, but provide fragrant and spicy flavours for the guest who is driving and can’t drink alcohol. Their spiced berry flavour conjures up festive tastes that compare very favourably with mulled wine.

Obviously Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a bottle or two of champagne, which goes with everything, including chocolate truffles. It can be served at the beginning of a meal, during a meal and at the end of a meal.

This year I have stocked up with Taittinger Prelude Grands Crus NV, for sentimental reasons. This was one of the champagnes I tasted while taking part in an amusing pseudo-scientific experiment in an air balloon earlier in the year. Our task was to examine the size of the bubbles as we ascended over Bibury with a glass of Taittinger in our hands, to see if they got bigger as we rose into the air. Gosh what a trip — something that must never be forgotten. It is the perfect drink to offer high-flying guests.