December 13. Midway through the month, less than ten days away from the Winter Solstice. I can’t think of a better day than this for National Hot Cocoa Day.
There is nothing better than a cozy day inside, watching fat snowflakes floating to the earth from a frosty window. Fire burning, lights twinkling on the tree, gifts wrapped, and a hot mug of molten chocolate in your hand.
There are many different types of hot cocoa flavors on the market to try and I am finding new ones all the time. With so many to choose from, it’s hard to decide! Obviously, you have seen the displays around, so there probably is no need to list a bunch of different varieties here for you, as you, like me, probably already have your go-to favorites. Here, I am going share a basic scratch Hot Cocoa recipe, and give you a few ideas on how to make it even more fabulous. By fabulous, of course, I mean… boozy.
Basic Hot Cocoa
You will need:
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Baking Cocoa
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 4 cups milk
- 3/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- dash of salt
Combine sugar, cocoa, vanilla and salt in a saucepan, add water, heat to boiling. Slowly stir in milk, heat to serving temperature. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat, and whisk til frothy. Serve.
The Brandy Bean
Inspired by my favorite German treat, Asbach “Brandy Beans”
- 1 ounce brandy
- 1/8 ounce Buttershots
- hot cocoa
combine all ingredients, enjoy hot
Chocolate Luck (bomb style ‘shot’)
- 3/4 ounce Irish Whiskey
- 1 ounce hot cocoa (cooled to room temp)
- dash of Bailey’s
- Irish Stout
- 2 oz shot glass and pint glass
Combine whiskey and cocoa in shot glass and top with Bailey’s. Fill pint glass half way with stout. Drop the shot glass into your pint glass and drink it down.
The Hot Russian
- 1 ounce vodka
- 1 ounce coffee liqueur
- hot cocoa
- Bailey’s whipped cream**
- hazelnuts (for garnish)
Combine vodka, coffee liqueur and hot cocoa in a hot cocktail mug, top with Bailey’s whipped cream. Garnish with a couple hazelnuts.
**You can find a recipe for Bailey’s spiked whipped cream HERE.
The French Kiss
- 1/2 ounce vodka infused with lavender
- 1/2 ounce Saint Germain
- hot cocoa
- raspberries (for garnish)
Combine all ingredients in a hot cocktail mug, garnish with a raspberry.
I hope you got inspired to make your cocoa a little less ordinary! Happy Hot Cocoa Day, stay warm!
Thanks for reading.
Yum, I love hot chocolate! The ultimate winter drink. Love all the recipes for them on your blog post. I’ll have to try them!
Lauren xo – https://larylarxx.com
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Let me know what you think, I would love to hear! Thanks for reading!
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Wow! I’ve never made homemade hot chocolate. It looks so much easier than I thought it would be.
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It really is simple. Only thing you really have to make sure you do right is the second heating after the milk goes in, if you heat it too fast or bring it to a boil by accident, it can scorch the milk, so careful with that. Otherwise it’s a walk in the park!
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Awesome post! Look at all these delicious recipes for hot chocolate and all homemade 😋 .
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While I definitely go for powdered cocoa mix sometimes, there really is nothing like homemade hot cocoa. It is really the only way to go if you are going to make cocktails out of it! I am so glad you found some inspiration here! Thanks for reading hun! ❤
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Oh yes! The recipes sound so yummy, I love hot cocoa 😊
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I’ve never actually had a go at making hot choco from scratch myself before! I do love it though, its so relaxing to drink in the evenings, I’ve tried hot chocolate and Bailey’s before but not tried it with vodka!
Chloe Chats xx
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My favorite will always be brandy with cocoa. I tend to drink a lot of brandy in winter though, so I pretty much put it in everything this time of year. ❤ Thanks for reading!
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I LOVE HOT COCOA! It’s so Christmas vibes, I love it. Switzerland has the best cocoa I have ever tasted too. Great post lovely xx
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I love Swiss Cocoa!!!! ❤ Thanks so much for reading!
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On a cold day like today this would go down an absolute treat! It looks delicious, too!
Carly xx // http://www.prettystyleofliving.wordpress.com
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Yes! And mother nature is really giving us the perfect cocoa weather as of late! Especially where I am in the Midwestern US. Thanks for reading!
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