Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, And The Chocolate Martini

Featured Image: MPTV

Rich, creamy, and indulgent, the chocolate martini is an elegant way to drink your dessert. However, the history of the cocktail is even sweeter than many know — born out of the close friendship of two Hollywood icons, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, during the making of the film “Giant” in 1955.

As the story goes, Elizabeth and Rock were drinking vodka martinis one night during filming in Marfa, Texas, and had some chocolate syrup on hand that they decided to mix in for fun. The experiment proved a good one and they loved the results — a little too much it seems, as they reportedly felt the effects the next day. Even so, the two continued to enjoy their new signature drink together, cementing their status as the earliest and most famous fans of what we now know as the Chocolatini. This was a perfect representation of what made their friendship so special: with each other, Elizabeth and Rock were able to have fun, try new things, and be themselves, free of judgment.

“Rock made me laugh,” Elizabeth recalled years later to author Mark Griffin, who was writing the biography “All That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson.” “We spent most of the time laughing, chatting, and being silly. One night the hail was like golf balls, and we were running out, getting bonked on the head, making chocolate martinis.”

Beyond playful evenings, dinners, and drinks, Elizabeth and Rock connected on profound levels that few others could understand. The pair became precious confidants, processing their feelings around postpartum depression, heartache, and the secret of Rock’s sexuality, which he harbored painfully for most of his life. The perpetually hard working, ambitious, and stoic Rock found a soulmate in the emotive, sensitive, and passionate Elizabeth - allowing him to drop the veil of strength that he had maintained throughout his life.

Today, the chocolate martini comes in many iterations and stands as a symbol of classic luxury and glamour, and through the drink, the legacy of Elizabeth and Rock’s transformative and grounding friendship lives on.