The hot beverage we can't survive winter without – with a twist
Boozy Hot Chocolate. | The Washington Post
CARRIE ALLAN
WHAT I want in hot chocolate doesn’t change much when I make it boozy: I want rich, chocolate flavour and just enough sweetness to enhance it. I don’t mind if other flavours come into play, but I don’t want them overwhelming the chocolate. I played around with types of chocolate and alcohol in devising this simple template and concluded that using liqueur generally resulted in a drink that wasn’t just overly sweet, but that also didn’t have the desired double-warmer effect of a hot drink with booze. Boozy Hot Chocolate (Serves 2) Ingredients Hot water, for filling mugs 2 cups whole or reduced-fat milk (may substitute plant-based milk) 85g dark chocolate chips or
chopped dark chocolate 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 large pinch salt 60ml dark rum or another spirit 60ml coffee liqueur, or another liqueur Whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate shavings, orange zest, and/or grating of nutmeg/ cinnamon, for garnish (optional) Method Fill two mugs with hot water and set aside while you make the cocoa. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk, chocolate, vanilla and salt, whisking until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and uniform. Add the rum and coffee liqueur, and stir to combine. Continue to stir until the mixture is fully heated – don’t let it come to a boil. Discard the hot water in the mugs, ladle the mixture into your mugs and garnish as you like.
NOTE: Other good combinations using rum: 60ml rum, 30ml coffee liqueur and 30ml orange liqueur; or 60ml rum, 30ml coffee liqueur and 30ml nut liqueur. VARIATIONS: Follow the recipe as written above up until adding alcohol. See below for suggested variations. Variation 1: Chocolate and spice Add 60ml dark rum or aged tequila and 60ml whisky, and stir to combine. Variation 2: Chocolate and orange Add 60ml brandy and 60ml orange liqueur, and stir to combine. Variation 3: Chocolate and other fruits Add 60ml brandy or rum, and 60ml of another fruit liqueur, and stir to combine. (Brandy goes well with raspberry or cherry liqueur.) | The Washington Post
