Houston Gets Its First Chocolate and Spirits Speakeasy

Case Chocolates bridges the world of chocolate and cocktails with a one-of-a-kind tasting menu experience

Case Chocolates seems like an unassuming chocolate shop tucked into the Plant, Houston’s Second Ward multidisciplinary space. Inside, diners are met with a showcase of beautifully packaged bonbons and luxe chocolates filled with orange blossom gin or sips of an Old Fashioned. But push past a hidden door, and Case’s world of chocolates gets a lot deeper.

Owner Casey McNeil, an energy entrepreneur and chocolatier, debuted his chocolate shop and speakeasy on Friday, July 19, which features the first chocolate and spirits tasting menu of its kind in the country. With just 26 seats, Case’s posh speakeasy offers three flights of half-cocktails that are thoughtfully paired with rare chocolates that are themselves filled with unique spirits. (Each chocolate contains between 2 and 5 percent alcohol, and is the equivalent of one-twenty-second of a shot, McNeil says).

The one-hour experience kicks off with an introduction and sampling of the special rotation of cacao used, most recently sourced from regions in Costa Rica, Bolivia, and Venezuela. “I noticed that as I got into chocolatier-ing, there’s a lot of bad chocolate out there,” says McNeil. Since his training, it’s been his goal to highlight and showcase the unique cacao from around the world, which, similar to wine, is embedded with the flavor of its origin region’s terroir, he says. The citrus-forward Bolivian cacao, for example, has notes of grapefruit, lemon, vanilla, and plum, flavors that pair well with Case’s tequila and gin cocktails. The Venezuelan chocolate, a 65 percent cacao creation, features notes of bitter green coffee, orange zest, and raisin that complement whiskey and rum. The Costa Rican dark chocolate, made with 74 percent cacao, offers hints of blackberry, hazelnut, and vanilla notes that provide a balancing note for dessert.

During a recent tasting, Case’s Mandarin margarita was accompanied by chocolates filled with straight tequila and margarita; the dessert featured chocolates filled with a combination of bourbon and Tawny port.

McNeil, who works in energy by day, says it’s been his dream to open a chocolate shop like Case for years, but it only became reality a year and a half ago when he began firmly developing the idea. He spent six months traveling back and forth to Zurich, Switzerland, training under chocolatier Luis Amado and other mentors, and visiting cacao farmers around the world who use sustainable practices. As a result, McNeil learned how to successfully encapsulate alcohol in chocolate by using a gluten-free starch casting, a Swiss technique perfected by Rudolph Sprungli in the 1800s. A speakeasy concept quickly took shape. “I couldn’t see it any other way, McNeil says.

Now offered in-shop and online with the option to ship nationwide, Case’s chocolates come in a variety of forms. There are classic bonbons eaten in a few bites, eight-packs of chocolates filled with bourbon, rum, gin, or carajillo that are packaged in boxes of eight, and the non-alcoholic variety that come in flavors like strawberry yuzu matcha and the pandan coconut, Case’s take on an Almond Joy that features pandan and almond. Packed in a custom 3-D-printed case shaped like a cacao pod, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection specialty box features chocolates made with some of the rarest whiskeys in the world, and McNeil has also developed an “amped up” white chocolate that’s stuffed with three grams of Imperial caviar and topped with a gold flake.

McNeil says the menu and Case’s offerings will continue to evolve. The chocolatier is working on developing Case’s non-alcoholic beverages. So far, they’ve had success with the Phony Negroni, which McNeil swears tastes like a true Negroni, and they are working on developing zero-proof beverages that capture the essence of mezcal and tequila. The speakeasy also plans to feature special tastings centered on rare whiskeys and spirits, and now offers space for private events, for which menus can be customized.

Case Chocolates’s speakeasy is open for reservations only, with seatings at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. The retail store is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 3401 Harrisburg Boulevard, Suite E, 77003.