The Best Recipe for Homemade Hot Chocolate With Red Wine (2024)

FAQs

What is the best alcohol to put in hot chocolate? ›

Adding a splash of alcohol like rum, brandy, or whisky can transform your hot chocolate into a truly indulgent and sophisticated drink. So go on, delve into the delicious world of spiked hot chocolate, experiment with your favourite flavours, and enjoy every sip of your carefully crafted, indulgent beverage.

Think of it as matching sugar with sugar. Sweet white chocolate pairs well with sweet wines high in residual sugars and bitter darks with dry wines with just a hint of residual sugar. A good rule of thumb is to always pair wines that are equally or slightly more sweet than the chocolate being eaten with it.

For example, both chocolate and wine have tannins in them. These polyphenols are the reason your mouth dries out after taking a sip of dry red wine or eating a morsel of dark chocolate.

This is Kahlua hot cocoa is my favorite hot cocoa. Others chose to add Baileys to the cocoa. Baileys hot chocolate is a smooth combination of the hot cocoa with Irish cream to create a boozy hot chocolate that may be way too easy to drink.

It is hard to believe but, once cooked, about 70-75% of its alcohol content remains on the plate. It is a different matter when alcohol is mixed with an ingredient and then heated to boiling point. After 15 minutes, 40% of the alcohol remains, after 30 minutes 35%, and only after two and a half hours 5%.

Red blends are natural pairing options due to their penchant for being a bit more fruit-forward. In fact, any fruit-forward wine will work. Pinot Noirs from the New World will pair quite nicely, blending fruit acidity with creamy chocolate for a match made in heaven.

Both red and white wines can be paired with chocolates. In general, if the chocolate is sweet, the wine should be sweeter to wash down the palate. If you are just starting to learn about wine chocolate pairing, start by pairing light wines with lighter chocolates and then move forward.

The beauty of pairing and tasting chocolate is in the discoveries you'll make along the way. Dark chocolate pairs well with full-bodied red wines: such as a Cabernet Sauvignon, which highlight the fruity and peppery notes in the chocolate, or a Zinfandel, which brings out the chocolate's spicy subtleties.

Dark Chocolate: Include a variety of dark chocolates with different cocoa percentages to pair with the red wine. Look for artisanal options like single-origin dark chocolate or dark chocolate infused with spices like chili or cinnamon. Milk Chocolate: Choose creamy milk chocolates to pair with the white wine.

What does wine and chocolate do? ›

When paired correctly, the tannins in wine and chocolate can balance each other, softening the astringency and allowing other flavors to shine through. The key is in matching the intensity so one doesn't overpower the other.

ChocoVine: This red wine product is made with dark chocolate and Dutch cream to create flavors akin to Baileys Irish Cream—or chocolate milk with a splash of brandy.

An easy way to add extra flavor to any cup of cocoa—be it out of the box or homemade—is to add a touch of your favorite spices. A sprinkle of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg or even cayenne can all be welcome warming additions.

Although hot chocolate doesn't necessarily need an even more creamy, decadent taste, using milk certainly enriches the experience. We suspect that milk adds a creamier taste than water alone, and when combined with the notes of chocolate, the smooth undertones of the milk simply add a delicious backdrop.

Cornflour/Cornstarch: Mix a small amount with cold milk or water to create a smooth paste. Whisk this into your hot chocolate towards the end of the cooking process until it thickens. Double Cream: Stirring in a splash of double cream can instantly enrich and thicken your drink, giving it a velvety texture.

Pairing Chocolate with Liquor

Though a few spirits fall out of these categories, it's generally accepted that the six types of distilled spirits are: brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey. Each pairs particularly well with chocolate, but the pairings depend on the blend in question.

For gin and tonics, punches, and most anything else

Second perhaps only to white rum, gin is the most quintessential warm weather spirit out there.

Place dark chocolate and 2 ounces of vodka into small heatproof bowl (glass bowls work best), stir until chocolate is evenly coated and set aside. Fill a small pot ¼ full with water and heat on medium. Once water starts to steam, place bowl of chocolate and vodka on top and allow chocolate to melt.