Who doesn’t remember with fond nostalgia those tall glasses of chocolate milk, adorned with a bendy straw and set down on the kitchen table next to a plate of cookies? Okay, I don’t: my mother wasn’t a big proponent of adding all that sugar to our otherwise-healthy cups of skim milk. Perhaps that’s why, in my adulthood, I’m so enamored of Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur, a richer-than-rich blend of Dutch chocolate, dairy cream, and vodka. While I’m partial to the stuff served on the rocks, it can also be drizzled over ice cream or used as the base for any number of cocktails. It’s the childhood drink I missed, with a very grown-up twist. Bendy straws optional.

Available at area liquor stores for approximately $19.99 for a 750-ml bottle. Visit www.vermeercream.com for information and recipes.