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There are easy ways to celebrate National Hot Chocolate Day, January 31st—although, hopefully, your celebration extends beyond a packet of instant mix). Then, there are recipes that transform a cup of hot chocolate into something very different and special, like our first recipe below. Both recipes are tequila hot chocolate. The first adds a touch of the exotic, with tamarind purée. The second is a classic, with cinnamon and chile powder.
No tamarind? Use lemon or lime juice mixed with an equal quantity of light brown sugar as a substitute. Use 2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice with equal amounts of light brown sugar for every teaspoon of tamarind concentrate you’re replacing.
It’s that easy!
> There are more yummy hot chocolate recipes below.
> The history of cocoa and hot chocolate.
WHAT IS TAMARIND?
The tamarind tree, Tamarindus indica, is a member of the Fabaceae botanical family, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family. When you see its pod-like fruit (photo # 5), you’ll note the immediate connection.
While most Americans associate tamarind with Indian cooking. India is the largest commercial producer. Tamarind pulp is a key ingredient in flavoring curries and rice in South Indian cuisines.
However, the tamarind fruit is native to Africa, where it grows wild around the content in areas as diverse as Cameroon, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania.
It also grows wild in Oman, on the Arabian Peninsula; and the fruit’s name derives from tamar hindi, Arabic for “Indian date.”
The immature fruit is sour. It becomes more palatable as it ripens.
The ripened fruit is dried and turned into a paste or a purée, as well as an extract. The flavor is used in desserts including baked goods, puddings, ice creams, and sorbets; in jams; snacks; and in drinks such as juices and sweetened drinks.
In the Middle East, from the Levant to Iran, tamarind is used in savory dishes, particularly meat-based stews; and is often combined with dried fruits for a sweet-sour effect.
In Western cuisine, the most common use for tamarind is in Worcestershire Sauce. (Who knew?)
RECIPE #1: BOOZY, SPICY HOT CHOCOLATE
Ingredients For 2 Servings
4 ounces mezcal or tequila for less smokiness (the difference between mezcal and tequila)
8 ounces water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
3 black peppercorns
2 whole star anise
Dash curry powder
1 ounces heavy cream
2 teaspoons tamarind purée
3/4 cup finely chopped dark chocolate
Preparation
1. COMBINE all ingredients except for the chocolate in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes.
2. REMOVE from the heat and fold in the chocolate. Add 4 ounces of mezcal/tequila. If the beverage has cooled while folding in the chocolate, reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
3. SERVE hot in a mug or a snifter.
Want a simpler recipe?
The following version was created by Milagro Tequila’s National Brand Ambassador, Jaime Salas.
RECIPE #2: TEQUILA HOT CHOCOLATE
Ingredients Per Serving
1.5 Parts Milagro Añejo Tequila (room temperature)
Abuelita Chocolate Tablets, other Mexican chocolate (Ibarra, Taza, etc.) or your favorite hot chocolate mix
3 parts light cream or half-and-half
1 pinch each chili powder and cinnamon
Whipped cream and chocolate shavings
Preparation
1. MAKE the hot chocolate by melting the chocolate or chocolate mix in the hot cream, according to package directions. Stir in the chili powder and cinnamon.
2. HEAT the hot chocolate to the desired temperature. Remove from the heat and stir in the tequila.
3. TOP with the whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
> THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COCOA & HOT CHOCOLATE
> THE HISTORY OF HOT CHOCOLATE
MORE HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPES
30 Way To Serve Hot Chocolate
Baked Hot Chocolate
Boozy Spicy Hot Chocolate
Coconut Hot Chocolate & Mocha Hot Chocolate
Make Hot Chocolate From Chips & Chocolate Bars
Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
Red Wine Hot Chocolate
Rich Hot Chocolate With Fewer Calories
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
Spiked Hot Chocolate
Tequila Hot Chocolate
White Hot Chocolate
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[1] Add mezcal or tequila to your hot chocolate, pour and enjoy (photo © Maddi Bazzocco | Unsplash).
[2] Here the saucer is decorated with bits of nut brittle and some cocoa powder (photo © Johnny Caspari | Unsplash).
[3] Yola is a handcrafted mezcal made from a recipe passed down from Yola Jiminez’s grandfather, using a 300-year-old method of traditional Mezcal making (photo © Drizly).
[4] Tanteo Tequila, in three hot chile flavors (Jalapeño, Smokey Chipotle and Extra Spicy Habanero) add a different kind of heat to your hot chocolate (photo © Tanteo Tequila).
[5] The pods grow on the tamarind tree. The seeds inside are made into a paste or (photo © Mal Smith | CC-BY-2.0-License). |
