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

FAQs

What is the best alcohol to add to hot cocoa? ›

Rum: With its sugar cane base, rum adds just the right punch to your hot chocolate. Try spiced rum on its own, white rum with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg or a flavored rum such as coconut or vanilla for even more of a tropical taste.

A successful chocolate and wine pairing is vivid; producing enhanced sensations and tastes across the palate, revealing hidden flavors in both, for the first time. As a general rule of thumb, pair white wines with a lighter chocolate, such as white or milk chocolate, creating complimentary flavor profiles.

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.

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.

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.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot are winners. For higher cacao percentages, you may have to go for sweeter wines that balance the bitterness. Some ideas are Ruby Port or Italian dessert wine.

What are the 3 main ingredients in chocolate? ›

Boekenhoutskloof's The Chocolate Block is one of the most popular wines coming from South Africa. A blend of Syrah, Grenache Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Viognier. This vintage is unique in the sense that all the grapes for their blend are now grown in the Swartland, hence its wine of origin certification.

The general rule of thumb is that the higher the percentage, the more cocoa mass, and cocoa butter are used, and the more bitter the chocolate tastes. Dark chocolate typically has a high cocoa percentage. This is because it does not have a lot of added ingredients like milk and sugar.

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.

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.

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.

The best alcohol to mix with hot chocolate is a smooth, aged spirit that compliments its sweetness such as rum, brandy or whisky.