The Old Hollywood Duo Behind The First Ever Chocolate Martini

Liz Taylor and Rock Hudson knew all the elements that immediately glued besties together: a good movie script, houses across the street from each other, and plenty of chocolate and booze. In fact, these luminaries of the 1950s Hollywood movie scene are credited with creating the chocolate martini we know and love after mixing those very two ingredients. Ardent 'tini fans should be forever grateful.

The birth of this now-famous drink came about when the duo worked in Marfa, Texas, on the film "Giant." Taylor and Hudson lived on the same block during the filming of the movie and given the good-natured fun that bubbled between them, late-night drinking sessions became a common thing. Sometimes, a night of merrymaking only ended right before their set calls for the next day's shoot. On one of those evenings, the pair combined two of their great culinary loves: martinis and expensive chocolate, and the first chocolate martini was born.

The two were enamored by the creation, which mixes a vodka martini with chocolate syrup and chocolate liqueur, and drinking it on those late nights became the foundation of a close friendship that only ended with Hudson's death in 1985.

While super close friendships like Elizabeth Taylor's and Rock Hudson's might be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, enjoying a chocolate martini doesn't have to be. To create a drink worthy of the dynamic duo who invented it, start with a chilled martini glass that you decorate with chocolate syrup. Just squeeze the syrup bottle and drizzle pretty chocolatey designs inside. 

Follow that step by giving unflavored vodka, chocolate liqueur, and a creamy liqueur of your choice a good shake in a drink shaker filled with ice. Pour the mixture into the glass and sprinkle chocolate shavings on top to garnish. 

That is the classic version of the drink, but if you want to experiment a bit, there are many variations to taste-test. Who knows? Your boozy experimentation might just reward you with a drink that's good enough to please the tastebuds of Old Hollywood royalty.

When the chocolate martini was born in the brains of Taylor and Hudson in 1955, it was a straightforward drink. Nowadays, it's possible to find several variations of the chocolate martini. You can substitute a flavored vodka — like berry — or garnish with mint leaves to add a hint of freshness.

Some adventurous types have added a bit of Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur to upgrade the drink, and others insist vanilla vodka takes it to the next level. Lovers of mint chocolate after-dinner candy have combined that love with their post-dinner cocktails and created delicious mint chocolate martinis with the addition of crème de menthe.

And of course, given that the Taylor-Hudson parties sometimes ended at 3:00 a.m., a drink that is an ode to both breakfast time and cocktail hour in the same glass is fitting. Try adding a shot of espresso to your drink for a mocha martini that acts as an energizing pick-me-up. The chocolate martini has truly come a long way since Taylor and Hudson invented it.