bonnie Bonnie: A couple of weeks ago, I attended a public relations agency’s holiday open house, sharing its client’s products that it hoped might be included in a winter holiday story. Most print magazine editors who attended produce their Christmas and New Year’s stories in the summer. Those of us on the Web, have a much shorter lead time.

At one station, I learned about Godiva’s Chocolate Infused Vodka. I like my vodka neat, straight from the freezer. And I love chocolate (who doesn’t) — but the thought of drinking a chocolate-infused vodka, stopped me cold. That is, until I sipped it neat. (For the non-drinkers, neat means enjoying the liquor straight, not mixed with anything else.)

Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka tastes as if you’re consuming a piece of rich Godiva chocolate, but without the fat calories. Luxurious. Decadent. It’s a perfect finish to a meal in lieu of — or in addition to — dessert. Serve it straight from the freezer in a shot glass even to nonvodka drinkers… just as long as they like chocolate.

The vodka is only 60 proof, meaning it is only 30 percent alcohol compared to Ketel One’s, Grey Goose’s, and Absolut’s 40 percent. Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka does, though, contain sugar, 4 grams per 1.5-ounce serving or about 90 calories. It’s my new dessert.

BryanBryan: To me, chocolate is a tremendous addition to almost any dish or food product. Almost all things sweet can do right by a little dip in chocolate; Heck, even some things savory do well with a smidge (I’m looking at you, mole sauce). As a general rule of thumb, I’m pro-chocolate anything. But, even with such unbridled chocolate enthusiasm, I must say I was less than excited when I heard we’d be tasting a new chocolate vodka.

I immediately imagined all the flavored vodkas I’ve tried before. While there are literally hundreds of varieties, my (albeit limited) sampling only managed to show me a myriad of bland or overwhelming flavors that only slightly masked the faint rubbing alcohol taste beneath. To put it simply, I’m not really a fan of flavored vodka: To me, it is a spirit best suited for mixed drinks, but not all that good on it’s own.

So, my chocolate-lover’s excitement being tempered with an overall distaste for all things “flavored vodka,” I pressed on to discover our product of the week, Godiva Vodka, and have forever realigned my thoughts on the category. Not only do I stand by the concept that all things are better with chocolate, I admit that flavored vodkas not only have their place, but can be astoundingly good.

Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka is different. Don’t think Stoli-Orange here; think Grand Marnier Cuvée du Cent Cinquentenaire. This is a truly unique blend of vodka and chocolate that has a flavor more like a dessert than a drink. The vodka is ultra-premium, five-times distilled and infused with the essence of Godiva chocolates. The quality of the spirit allows the chocolate to shine.

Though you can (clearly) combine it with a number of mixers to make a number of cocktails (White Russians to the next level!), it’s a real star on its own. Toss the bottle in the freezer, pour it over ice and serve with some thin mint cookies. Dessert for grownups.

eric...Eric: Vodka, by definition, is a neutral spirit (flavorless, “tasteless” and odorless); when you “boil down” to it (distillation humor), vodka should be pure, unadulterated alcohol — with, sometimes, the addition of water. As a self-proclaimed alcohol aficionado, I always laugh when I encounter flavored vodka — the reason being is that as soon as you flavor a vodka, it becomes a gin.

Godiva’s new chocolate-infused gin (joking) is a tasty addition to an already oversaturated market of flavored vodka. In lowering the proof, or a.b.v (alcohol-by-volume), Godiva is able to market the vodka as a great addition to a cocktail — Chocolatini anyone? The chocolate-infused vodka has a pure chocolate essence without the “heat” you get from many cheaper alcohols. Drink it neat or on the rocks, but my personal recommendation is in a cocktail:

Chocolatini
1/2-ounce Godiva Chocolate Infused Vodka
1 1/4 ounces Kahlúa
1 1/4 ounces dark crème de cocoa
Shake all ingredients, with ice, in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled martini glass.