Best Boozy Hot Chocolate Recipe Revealed by a Drinks Expert
I’m a drinks expert and I’ve spent over a year mixing boozy hot chocolates to find the ultimate recipe. Is it amaretto? Baileys? Peppermint? No, the ultimate boozy hot chocolate is orange with a dash of coffee and cinnamon, which makes this taste like an alcoholic elevated Terry’s chocolate orange. And the secret ingredient to bring all those flavours together? Salt.
Cocktail Course - Discovering the perfect recipe
Last year I worked closely with a course development team half way across the world to film the worlds best cocktail course. The result - Cocktails from Scratch. A course designed to show you the formulas to create any cocktail you want from home. With lessons on finding inspiration, creative techniques and how flavor works in drinks.
That course is something I’m immensely proud of. Check it out here, enrol, and you’ll see what I mean. It’s perfect for beginners and professionals alike. If you need more of a nudge, read this article about the course.
My point is, I have an add on option with 4 mini courses each teaching you a difference technique which focuses on a different Holiday. For the Christmas lesson, I wanted to show people how to make hot drinks, and drinks that are made in the kitchen rather then the bar. Which the hot chocolate was perfect for.
But the whole idea of the course is not to rehash old recipes you’ve seen before. Instead it’s about how you can use inspiration to create your own. So I didn’t want to do a regular baileys hot chocolate or amaretto hot chocolate.
I used my own flavour guide and got to testing hundreds of flavour combo’s till I finally came up with this. The best hot chocolate with alcohol ever, the boozy hot chocolate of all boozy hot chocolates, the alcoholic hot coco to cure any need of festive feelings. A new Christmas staple.
Ingredients
So let’s run through the ingredients that you will need for this recipe with a little more information about why we’re using them so you can swap them out however fits your own needs and taste.
Milk
Milk is a must for hot chocolate. But the beauty of this recipe is that instead of using a hot chocolate powder, we’re going to use raw unsweeted cacao, which in this form, is completely plant based. So if you did want to make this vegan, the only thing in your way is the milk.
And when it comes to the milk, it can be swapped for a milk substitute which still tastes great. That’s also good to know in case you or anyone you’re making this for is lactose intolerant. If you are going to make this with milk substitute, I recommend almond milk.
Unsweetened Cacao Powder
Unsweetened cacao powder is chocolate in one of it’s purist forms. The reason we want to use this unsweeted is so we can add our own sweetening ourself. Now if you’ve never tasted unsweetened cacao powder you’re in for a treat let me tell you. It tastes absolutely horrible. Which I’m guessing is not what you thought I would say.
It’s nothing like chocolate. It’s super bitter and earthy. But once you add the sweetness and the milk, it’s pure heaven. Not necessarily something you will find on your weekly shop so I’d recommend picking some up from amazon.
Unsweetened Cacao Powder
Ground Cinnamon
Hot chocolate is a winter classic. More so, it’s a Christmas classic. So not only will a little dash of cinnamon help create some more complex flavors here, but it really dials in that Christmassy feeling. Don’t go overboard with the cinnamon. You should barely taste it in the end product, just a dash to help bring in some festive cheer.
Salt
Salt might sound odd in a drink. But salt really helps bring flavours to the forefront. A little bit of salt, not enough to taste, has an amazing benefit to any drink. It helps bind flavours and makes everything seems so much more, well, vibrant.
If you’re curious on the science of this, check out this article on why salt will make any drink taste better.
Sugar
We’re going to add quite a bit of sugar to this, now it might seem like a lot, but remember, usually you would use chocolate powder that’s already loaded with way more sugar then we’re adding here. Because we’re using unsweetened cacao powder, it needs that sugar and overall, it’s still ends up being less sugar then you’d find it any of hot chocolate.
We’ll use regular cane sugar for this but once you’ve made it, try mixing it up. Using honey, or maple, or brown sugar for your own twist on the recipe.
The Alcohol
You can add any alcohol you want and I’ll be sure to mention some popular varieties below. But the 2 I’ve found work great is Kahlua and Cointreau.
Kahlua
Kahlua is a sweet coffee liqueur. You can use any coffee liqueur you want, but generally speaking Kahlua is the most popular and will be the easiest for you to find. We won’t add too much of this so don’t get it twisted, this is not a mocha, it’s still a hot chocolate through and through. But that little bit of coffee really goes a long way in brighten this drink up.
Cointreau
Our main liqueur we’ll be adding to this alcoholic hot chocolate is Cointreau, which is an orange liqueur. If you prefer you can use triple sec, another popular orange liqueur. Cointreau works great because I find it to be less perfumed then triple sec. So it works perfect here.
If you’re from the UK like myself, the best way I can describe this is making it taste like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
Variations
Okay so let’s talk variations. I’ve mentioned a few above and if you’ve read this entire article you’ll have a good understanding of basic variations. Such as swapping the booze, milk or sugar. But let’s cover some of the popular options you might be thinking off.
Boozy Amaretto Hot Chocolate
For a boozy amaretto hot chocolate follow the recipe exactly, but swap the Cointreau and Kahlua for 150ml of Amaretto or Disaranno.
Boozy Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Pepper mint hot chocolate is one of the most searched for and popular hot chocolate recipes. So it makes sense why you might want a peppermint hot chocolate. And you have a few ways to use this recipe to create one.
Firstly, swap the 100ml of cointreau in this recipe for 100ml of peppermint liqueur.
For something closer to the classic, use a peppermint hot chocolate powder and add a splash of amaretto, baileys, or brandy to each glass before serving.
Baileys Hot Chocolate
For a Baileys hot chocolate, mix a hot chocolate how you usually would, then pour 60ml of Baileys in each glass before pouring over your finished hot chocolate.
Vegan Hot Chocolate
Vegan hot chocolate we’ve mentioned but just to go over. Hot chocolate usually isn’t vegan not just because of the milk, but because chocolate powder also has milk in it. Because this recipe uses raw cacao powder, it means it’s completely plant based. So all you need to do is swap the milk for a vegan alternative. My preference for this is almond milk, but oat milk would still work.
The Garnish
Garnishing hot chocolate is when things get really fun. You can do just about anything you want. For this, I use 3 elements.
Crushed candy canes
whipped cream
toasted marshmallows
To do the same, step 1 is to use squirty cream to top your hot chocolate. Step 2 is to crush some candy canes which you can either do by sticking them in a good blender and blitzing them until they’re crushed. You don’t want them fully powdered, you still want some rather large bits so just pulse your blender.
Or, you can wrap them in a towel and smash them with a hammer. Like how I show you how to make homemade crushed ice in my course.
Step 3 is to add a couple of marshmallows then use a blowtorch to toast them till just starting to blister and darken.
Hot Chocolate Station
Speaking of the fun and excitement of garnishing. I recommend a hot chocolate station. You may of heard of these being referred to as hot chocolate bars, or hot cocoa stations. Maybe you’ve never heard of them before, in which case, you’re in for a treat.
These are cute stations we set up in our homes, as DIY and as crafty as we want, where anyone can choose there own hot chocolate toppings. You can also go as far to people choosing there own liqueurs. Read all about it here in this ultimate guide to hot chocolate stations to pick up more inspiration and tips on how to do this specifically with an adult hot chocolate.
Tips and Tricks
Multiple the recipe by as many people as you’re making for.
Consider picking up festive glassware like this if you’re making this for Christmas.
Use a thermal carafe if you’re planning on having more then 1 so it stays heated.
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Video Recipe
Boozy Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add everything apart from the booze to a saucepan and stir on a medium heat until everything is dissolved and silky smooth.
- Once smooth, add the booze and continue to heat and stir till you reach a drinkable temperature.
- Carefully pour into a heatproof mug and garnish with whipped cream. Crush some candy canes in a blender and sprinkle on top, then finish with a couple of toasted marshmallows.
Notes
Top 2 tips
If you have a Velvetiser
I'd recommend using it for this recipe. Pre heat and dissolve all the sugar and chocolate, then just before you would usually serve it, allow it to cool down then stick it in the velvetiser to reheat and give the mix an intensely silky texture.
Vegan options
The recipe works great with vegan milk alternatives. Cacao powder is already vegan so if you're looking for an amazing hot chocolate or boozy hot chocolate recipe, cacao is going to be your go to. Just swap the milk (almond is a personal favourite of mine for this recipe)
Nutrition Facts
Calories
300.35Fat
9.11 gSat. Fat
5.25 gCarbs
39.31 gFiber
2.34 gNet carbs
36.97 gSugar
36.16 gProtein
9.56 gSodium
120.67 mgCholesterol
30.94 mgThe nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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Hi, I’m Cameron, guv’nor of Smartblend. If you liked this then you’re in luck, I have a bunch more recipes like it. I share only vegetarian and pescatarian food recipes, cocktails, and drink guides with a sprinkling of wellness and mindful drinking. If that sounds like you, then stick around!
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