Tag: Winter Cocktails

Hot White (Christmas) Chocolate

Who remembers playing outside in the snow as a kid?  Sledding?  Making Snowmen?  Snowball fights?  Just staying outside in the crisp, cold weather crunching through the snow until your cheeks were pink and your nose was froze?  When it was finally time to go inside the perfect way to warm up was a steaming mug of Hot Chocolate.  How did you top yours?  Marshmallows?  Whipped Cream?  Or were you a purist, and drank yours with no garnish at all? 

Growing up we had a really good homemade Hot Chocolate Mix.  My mom had the recipe in an old church cookbook.  It might have been my dad’s mom’s church cookbook, but I’m really not sure.  I just remember that it was delicious.  I made it a couple of years ago, and it was still good.  But not as good as I remember.  So I decided to create a new, easy, amazing Hot Chocolate. 

I don’t know about you, but as an adult Hot Chocolate is a pretty big treat.  My hot drinks tend to stay on the sensible side- coffee or tea.  And if I’m craving Hot Chocolate, sometimes the powdered packet is just fine… but let’s face it, even the best powdered mixes aren’t that good.  So, if you are going to have Hot Chocolate do yourself a favor, and make it a real treat.  A rich, creamy, decadent (SPIKED) treat. 

I love this recipe because it’s a little different.  It features White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder.  You get all of these delicious layers of chocolate and it’s not too sweet.  It’s amazing on its own, but even better if you spike it with a little smoethin’ somethin’ it’s even better.    

  • Hot White (Christmas) Chocolate
  • 1 bag (11oz) High Quality White Chocolate Chips
  • 1 ½ Tablespoon Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
  • 8 cups 1% Milk
  • 1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • A couple of drops of Vanilla Extract
  • Pinch of Kosher Salt

In a heavy bottomed pot combine the heavy cream, about half the milk, the cocoa powder, and whisk well to combine.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir often and keep an eye on the heat, you don’t want to scald the milk.  Once the chips are melted and everything is heated through, give it a taste test.  Add more cocoa powder, milk, or vanilla as needed. 

You can also make this in a crockpot.  Follow the same directions, but over low heat stirring every 30 minutes.  Once hot, switch to the warm setting.

Serve with marshmallows, whipped cream, or nothing at all in your favorite mug!

This is amazing and child friendly, as is.  Now let’s make it adult friendly.  Some of my favorite additions are – Candy Cane Infused Vodka (as made in a previous post), Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey (who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate?), Fireball (cinnamon and chocolate for a little extra spice), your favorite bourbon (bourbon and chocolate pair so well together), Rum Chata (for a more mild, extra creamy addition), Kahlua (for a mocha-type drink)….. the possibilities are really endless.  Let me know what your favorite is!

My favorite? LOTS of marshmallows and a healthy glug of Maker’s Mark.

Cranberry, Spice, and Everything Nice

I know that I’m not alone when I say that I love the Holidays!  From Thanksgiving (ok, if I’m being honest with myself, from Halloween) through Christmas and New Year’s Eve I love the Holidays.  All of the decorations, the cool-to-cold weather, the first snow, and all of the amazing food!  This time of year, we make all of those special recipes that define Thanksgiving and Christmas to our taste buds.  The Cranberry Sauce simmering away on the stove.  The Snickerdoodles baking in the oven.  The Apple Pie cooling on the counter. 

I don’t know about you, but I always end up with some odds and ends left over from a flurry of holiday cooking and baking.  An apple or pear too bruised to use in a pie.  About half a bag of cranberries that I didn’t use.  I always over buy cinnamon sticks because I love cinnamon and I can always find someway to use it.  So I gathered all of my leftover Thanksgiving goodies and threw them in a pot and let it simmer away for an hour or so… the kitchen smelled amazing as the flavors mingled and the liquid reduced. 

Once cooled I mixed it with some Maker’s Mark and topped it with Fever Tree Ginger Beer.  Honestly, it would mix well with almost any liquor, it just depends on what your feeling and what you have on hand.  But your favorite vodka or rum (I would go with a Spiced Rum over a Silver Rum) or even a nice tequila would all be a nice addition to this reduction.  If you don’t have Ginger Beer, Ginger Ale, Club Soda, or even just Sprite would be good.  Or you could spike some Champagne or Sparkling Apple Juice to make a festive Mimosa.  This juice is incredibly versatile.  I was really tempted to reduce some of it down to a syrup to serve over pancakes- but that will have to wait for the next batch! 

Let me know what you think and how you use this concoction!

Cranberry-Pear-Cinnamon-Maple Reduction

  • In a 5 quart pot combine-
  • -6 cups water
  • -12oz fresh Cranberries
  • -2 Pears (or Apples or one of each) cored and chopped
  • -2 Cinnamon Sticks
  • -5oz Demerara Sugar
  • -4oz Pure Maple Syrup
  • -and if you have an orange lying around, throw a slice or two into the pot

Bring it all to a slow boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes.  Taste test for desired sweetness/flavor concentration.  Either continue reducing or allow to cool and strain into a storage container and chill.

Spiked Cranberry and Spice

  • In a Collins glass, over ice combine
  • 1.5 oz Maker’s Mark (or your favorite spirit to get you in the Holiday Spirit)
  • 2 oz Cranberry-Pear Reduction
  • Stir to combine
  • Top with Fever Tree Ginger Beer
  • Garnish with an Orange Wedge, Cranberries, or nothing at all.

Enjoy!