When a bitter chill blows through the air, sometimes bringing snow, or worse, freezing rain, there’s little better than cozying up inside with a steamy cup of hot chocolate. The drink may bring back memories of childhood days spent building snow forts, but even if we’ve graduated to coffee or tea most days, there’s still a place for hot chocolate in our adult lives. That doesn’t mean we still need to fight over who has the most marshmallows. In fact, spiked hot chocolate can be a downright sophisticated treat.
There are a number of different ways to shake up your hot chocolate. If you’re looking for something spicy, put down the Fireball and turn instead to Southern Comfort, which will bring a similar tingle to your piping mug as a piece of gingerbread. If you generally feel ashamed about pulling out the bottles of cordial and the flavored liqueurs, or even if you’re all about those chocolate martinis, this is certainly the time to pull them out.
Try out spiking your cocoa with salted caramel vodka, or even spiking your whipped cream if you really want to indulge. You could also save on a Starbucks run by elevating your peppermint hot chocolate from something your kids whine for every afternoon to a drink that takes the edge off when you substitute some peppermint schnapps. For those who want everything they consume to remind them that their trip to Mexico is coming up soon can try a spicy Tequila infused drink.
Hot chocolate may be the perfect vehicle to make use of those bizarrely flavored liqueurs that have been collecting dust in the back of your pantry, but you can also add any of your favorite tipples to the treat, even a little bit of red wine. Just call it red velvet hot chocolate!