Hot chocolate is the drink we will never stop enjoying. Its milk is creamy, its cocoa chocolatey and all deliciously steaming. Hot chocolate comforts us during these winter periods and takes us back to childhood. Let’s not just drink it as is, let’s revisit it, with these few stunning and unusual tips.
Hot chocolate, the sweetness of childhood
We remember, when we were little, returning from a long snowy walk, we couldn’t wait to drink a good hot chocolate. Our favorite cup in one hand, the chocolate from the Advent calendar in the other, this moment was the most precious of the day. This drink punctuated our awakenings before heading to school and rocked our evenings before falling asleep. So many memories that made hot chocolate the drink of memories. In short, to consume it is to put time on hold, to find oneself and above all, to savor.
Hot chocolate, the initially hated drink
Hot chocolate is served at home, in restaurants, tea rooms and even in the street, at a Christmas market or a takeaway drinks stand. Wherever we go, this comforting drink is everywhere.
However, the beginnings of hot chocolate did not promise any success. Originally from Latin America, this drink was prepared with cocoa bean paste diluted in hot water and chili pepper. Suffice to say that its aroma was not the sweetest. Very bitter, the first hot chocolates were not unanimous among Europeans. The first to discover it when he came to America in 1492, Christopher Columbus, even hated it.
How did hot chocolate become the star of hot drinks? By adding a little cane sugar, a century after Christopher Columbus’ voyage. An idea to sweeten this drink originated in Spain, when the first cocoa beans were imported there. Since then, hot chocolate has been prepared with a consistency of creaminess, based on milk and cocoa powder.
One thing is certain, hot chocolate has been revisited since its beginnings. It was established with chili pepper, developed with cane sugar and perpetuated with milk. Millennia have passed without ever stopping celebrating cocoa through drinking. Today, we continue to personalize hot chocolate, only to rediscover it again and again.
Customize your hot chocolate
We often add some marshmallows or Chantilly to our hot chocolate. A little icing sugar, an extra square of chocolate or cream, these little extras are the most common. What if we see further? We offer you tips that change from the traditional ones, so that hot chocolate never ceases to surprise us.
Flavor the whipped cream
Chantilly on my hot chocolate, yes, but flavored! Let’s add a floral note to this cream by incorporating some mixed lychees. For a gourmet note, vanilla extract; and for a rounder note, coffee extract. With coffee, the taste of hot chocolate will almost be reminiscent of a mocaccino!
Replace milk with plant-based milk
For a lighter and more digestible drink, replace cow’s milk with vegetable milk. Ideal for lactose intolerances and changing the traditional taste of hot chocolate. Preparing your hot chocolate without milk is possible, with soy, almond, oat, hazelnut or coconut milk, it doesn’t matter, all are equal. Choose the one you prefer and why not, mix some of them. We can never say it too much, in cooking, everything is possible.
Add peanut butter
A teaspoon of peanut butter in the bottom of the cup before pouring in the hot milk which will dilute everything, and that’s it. The peanut butter will add texture, foam and a slight salty note to the hot chocolate. Prepare to stir until a perfect mixture is obtained.
Add flour to hot chocolate
Flour in hot chocolate? Yes, you read correctly. You might not think about it, but flour thickens the texture of the milk. A tip that provides a stronger consistency in the mouth of this drink. Add a tablespoon to the preparation. Whisk rigorously until you obtain a thick and creamy milk.
Spice up your hot chocolate with… chilli
Add a little chili powder to your hot chocolate. With a little cream to soften the spicy touch, you will rediscover this hot milk drink. A tip that sounds like a return to the origins, since initially, to make hot chocolate, we grilled and ground the cocoa beans before diluting the resulting paste, with chili peppers! Everything was added to hot water. It’s our turn to spice up the hot chocolate, measuring carefully, to avoid any “burning mouth” syndrome. We know that spices can be very spicy on the palate, especially chili, the most “hot” of all.
Pour a little alcohol
No more hot chocolate from childhood, make way for the world of adults. Add a small cap of whiskey, rum or even cognac according to your preference to your hot chocolate.
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for health.
To consume with moderation.
So many tips to prepare for yourself or your guests, and wow everyone, by becoming a master in the art of hot chocolate.
