Decadent New Speakeasy-Style Chocolate Shop Has Captured Our Hearts This V-Day!

Dylan McEwan
Decadent New Speakeasy-Style Chocolate Shop Has Captured Our Hearts This V-Day!

CHOCOLATE AND BOOZE are two of the oldest epicurean vices, and especially popular for Valentine’s Day. Combining the best of both worlds, CASE Chocolates is decidedly different — and devilishly delicious. The handsome new speakeasy-chocolate-shop offers globally sourced chocolates filled with a wide variety of spirits.


Scheduled to open this spring by Houston native and serial entrepreneur Casey McNeil, CASE Chocolates is reviving the lost art of Starch Casting — a Swiss technique perfected by Rudolph Sprungli in the 1800s. The chocolates with a liquid center encompass a range of high-end spirits, from rare whiskeys to vintage liqueurs, and non-alcoholic options like local coffees and adaptogen elixirs.

Founders Casey McNeil and Janan Araujo-Siam


“Chocolates and spirits are a perfect pairing, but the only options have been sort of novelties. We’re changing that by creating unforgettably unique experiences and flavors that focus on the highest quality ingredients,” says McNeil.

Current offerings include eight-packs of bourbon, rum, gin or carajillo-filled gourmet chocolates; mixed variety packs; and the BTAC Collection Specialty Box starring chocolates filled with some of the rarest whiskeys in the world from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. The latter is packed in a decadent and eye-opening custom-made cacao pod.

Although the storefront isn’t ready yet, CASE is selling its luxury chocolates online. It will preview the speakeasy tasting experience with a Valentine’s Day pop-up dubbed Chocolate & Cocktails in the Jungle at Eden Plant Co. near James Beard-awarded Street to Kitchen in The Plant. CASE’s first-of-its-kind speakeasy will feature an intimate chocolate and cocktails pairing experience in a moody setting. The tastings showcase a global variety of chocolates paired as flights with various spirits and cocktails. Each tasting will last approximately 45 minutes, with reservations required.

“Cacao is more nuanced than wine, and we want to emphasize the unique flavors that different origins offer. The journey gets more exciting when people see how those flavors pair with different spirits and cocktails. We’re redefining chocolate by creating new moments of ‘wow’ and joy,” added McNeil.

McNeil studied under a Swiss chocolatier to learn the art of chocolate-making and now travels the world sourcing the best cacao from places such as Peru, Guatemala and Bali. Sweet!

Fall Philanthropy Report: Spindletop Community Impact Partners Engages and Supports At-Risk Youth

The 50th Annual Spindletop Holiday Ball, Seas and Greetings, will be held on Thursday, December 12. Tables and sponsorship opportunities are available now.

What is your mission? Spindletop Community Impact Partners, Inc. enhances the lives of at-risk youth through funding and volunteering from the energy industry, while promoting fellowship and networking among its participants.

Keep Reading Show less

A model on the runway at the Saks show kicking of the Nutcracker Market

A PAIR OF fashion-show events kicked off the annual Nutcracker Market in support of the Houston Ballet.

Keep Reading Show less
Fashion+Home

Bashar and Brigitte Kalai, and Alicia and Lance Smith

ONE OF HOUSTON'S most beloved charitable galas made a comeback, as the newly renamed “Voices for Hope” in support of Avenue 360 Health and Wellness and its nearly 40-year-old Omega House hospice for HIV patients bowed at River Oaks Country Club.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties