Fruity Liqueur

• Just as chocolate often pairs with strawberries, cherries or raspberries, fruit-based liqueurs really make the sweet flavor of mousse pop. Reach for an Italian strawberry-based liqueur, especially if your mousse follows a light lunch. The sweet fruit mingles with the chocolate's sugary tones and the crisp, smooth drink -- served chilled -- complements the dessert's airy texture.

A Creamy Pairing

• Choose a chilly crème de violette -- a brandy liqueur flavored with violet flowers -- for an exceptionally smooth pairing of mousse and liquor. This creamy French cordial accents the fine texture of the mousse. As a particularly sweet drink, creme de violette pairs best with lighter, less rich, subtly sweet types of chocolate mousse.

Go Nuts

• If you have a dark chocolate mousse, gently offset its bitter intensity with a mildly flavored pistachio liqueur served neat or on the rocks. If you like the time-tested flavor combo of nuts and chocolate but you're pairing with a lighter, milkier mousse, spike a cup of hot, black coffee with pistachio liqueur for just the right blend of bitter and sweet.

Sweet Wines

• Despite widespread Valentine's Day traditions, dry red wine and chocolate mousse served together typically makes for a bitter, sour combo. Instead, select a slightly sweet wine to complement the dish, such as a Californian black muscat or a citrusy muscat from Spain. To add a spicy edge to plain chocolate mousse, go with a berry-based California zinfandel. If your chocolate mousse has fruit elements such as a strawberry topping or orange swirl, choose wines with a matching fruit undertone. Accent creamier white chocolate mousse with a glass of lighter wine, such as an off-dry Spanish rose.

Berry Beery

• For a more casual dessert pairing, bubbly beer plays nicely with the porous texture of chocolate mousse. Not just any old lager will do, however. Look for fruit beers to serve with mousse, contrasting the smoothness of the chocolate with the spice and tanginess of the brew. Kriek, a type of Belgian cherry lambic beer, or raspberry-based brews offer this palette-pleasing effect.