BRUGES, Belgium (Reuters) —Belgian chocolatier Dominique Persoone never imagined demand would stretch much beyond the rock ‘n’ roll scene when he created a chocolate-sniffing device for a Rolling Stones party in 2007.
However, he has sold 25,000 of them in the last seven years.
Inspired by a device his grandfather used to propel tobacco snuff up his nose, Persoone created a Chocolate Shooter to deliver a hit of Dominican Republic or Peruvian cocoa powder, mixed with mint and either ginger or raspberry.
“The mint and the ginger really tinkle your nose,” he said in his chocolate factory in the medieval city of Bruges.
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“Then the mint flavour goes down and the chocolate stays in your brain.”
Persoone, who has collaborated with celebrated chefs such as the Fat Duck’s Heston Blumenthal and elBulli’s Ferran and Albert Adria, has a history of culinary innovation.
Alongside the classics, he has created chocolates flavoured with bacon and onion, oysters and even grass.
It took some perfecting to create the snorting powder because chocolate itself was too dry. He originally used a mix that included chilli pepper before discovering the successful formula.
“It’s a very bad idea,” he said.
The chocolate shooters, which sell for $50 each, have been exported to Russia, India, Canada, Australia and the United States.
The packaging bears a warning against excessive sniffing, but Persoone insisted it is safe. He was inspired by the role of the nose when tasting food and a certain idea of fun.
“The mentality when you think about sniffing is, ‘oh, it’s kinky guys who do that stuff,’” Persoone said.
“I’m not the bad boy promoting drugs, not at all…. Life is boring. Let’s have fun.”
