Most of us associate chocolate with solid form and bars. But for millennia chocolate functioned in a liquid form.

How was it invented? Let’s move to the southeastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula and step back in time for about 2,500 years. It was the best days of Mayan civilization, the favourite drink of which was a chocolate drink. The Maya mixed chunky cocoa beans with chilli peppers and honey from wild bees. The chocolate drink was an indispensable element of all celebrations.

How did cocoa appear in Europe?

The first European, who appreciated cocoa, was Christopher Columbus. During his last trip to the New World, he took cocoa beans to Europe. Instead of cold water, Europeans mixed cocoa powder with hot water, switched chilli and honey to sugar and cinnamon. This changed drink has conquered all of Europe.

Today we have our own recipe for hot chocolate based on red wine with chilli.

Hot chocolate with red wine by CRAVEmonkey
Hot chocolate with red wine by CRAVEmonkey

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of concentrated milk 7.5%
  • 1 glass of dry red wine
  • 100 g of dark chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons of amaretto liqueur or honey or maple syrup
  • a pinch of chilli (optional)
  • optional for decoration: whipped cream, fresh raspberries

Method:

  1. Pour wine and condensed milk into a pot. Add previously chopped chocolate, liqueur and a pinch of chilli (optional).
  2. Heat on medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly with the rod, until all ingredients combine. The chocolate must dissolve. Note, we have to warm up the drink only to combine the ingredients, do not let the drink boil. The drink must be creamy and have a homogeneous consistency.
  3. Pour into cups and serve. You can decorate it with fresh raspberries or whipped cream.
Hot chocolate with red wine by CRAVEmonkey
Hot chocolate with red wine by CRAVEmonkey

Do you want to experiment with other beverages? Go to the DrinkUp section of our blog to find more inspiration. We especially recommend our recipe for butterbeer (inspired by Harry Potter)mulled beer and homemade lemon flavoured nalewka/tincture.

Send to us photos of your creation and tag us on social media @cravemonkeypl (TwitterInstagramFacebook).