It was the Mayans who first came up with hot chocolate recipes over 2500 years ago, but they liked it bitter, boiling up the cocoa with chilli and cornmeal.
It was only when chocolate arrived in Spain in the 1500s that some bright spark had the idea to stir in milk and sweeten it with honey or sugar cane to make the hot chocolate we know and love today.
The Spanish loved the taste of hot chocolate so much that they kept it top secret so it was another 200 years before news of this wondrous new drink spread across the continent. Many doctors prescribed it as a remedy for stomach and liver diseases.
These days the secret is well and truly out with one in eight Australians whipping up a hot chocolate recipe at least once a week. It’s actually become more of a young person’s fix recently – adults under 30s consume twice as much as the over 60s. If you’re one of those missing out, check out the ultimate hot chocolate recipe here.
We at BIBO certainly can’t live without it so decided to find some inspired hot chocolate recipes to give your taste buds a treatl.
So grab your woolly jumper, stoke up the fire and try these incredible hot chocolate recipes with a twist!
Top 10 hot chocolate recipes
1. Sailor Jerry’s Hot Chocolate Schnapps
Spiced rum, butterscotch schnapps and orange bitters canoodle in a tall glass for a real showstopper. Best of all, you make the actual hot choc bit instantly using store-bought powder and boiling water from your BIBO Water Bar so your lucky guests don’t have to stand around while you heat up the milk.
2. Cinnamon Orange Hot Chocolate
We’ve all tried cinnamon with apple, but it also works really well with orange or mandarin for a piping hot chocolate recipe with a citrus kick.
3. Red Velvet Hot Chocolate
Are you a fan of red velvety chocolate cake? Of course you are, and now you can drink it too! A sneaky dollop of cream cheese thickens up this outrageously creamy creation while an even more sneaky shot of vodka will get your central heating system into gear before you reach the bottom of the mug.
4. Salted Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
Salted caramel is everywhere these days, but this little beauty takes the flavour a step further with a satisfying nutty edge. Set the temperature on your BIBO Water Bar to around 60 degrees so the sugar and cocoa dissolve into each other more quickly. It works equally well with dark or milk chocolate.
5. Spicy Aztec Hot Chocolate
The Mexicans cottoned on to the joys of hot chocolate years before we did so they know a thing or two about getting it right. This hot chocolate recipe uses Mezcal, their national drink, but if you haven’t got a bottle lurking in the pantry, rum or tequila work just as well.
6. Lavender Hot Chocolate
Gently steep the milk in lavender and then garnish with a pinch of the dried blooms. For an equally delicious, lighter version, replace half the milk with boiling water from your BIBO Water Bar – that way you can afford to pop in a couple of marshmallows without overdoing the calories!
7. Sugar-free Hot Chocolate
This no-cal wonder has garnered rave reviews online and is perfect if you’re trying to lose weight or get back in shape. It’s made with instant boiling water so you’ll be warming yourself up from the inside within seconds. It’s not the sweetest or creamiest taste, so try adding a squeeze of honey and a little milk – it’ll still be super healthy.
8. Red Wine Hot Chocolate
If you can warm up a bottle of Shiraz on the stove with cinnamon, cloves and star anise to make mulled wine, why shouldn’t you make a creamy version with orange zest, vanilla extract and chocolate chips? What could be more perfect for an après ski pick-me-up?
It sounds odd, but trust us, it’s divine.
9. Toasted Coconut Hot Chocolate
Stand by to crank up the indulgence to dizzying new heights! Not only does this dreamy concoction contain real coconut milk, it’s topped with marshmallow fluff whipped cream. But the pièce de résistance is the scattering of toasted coconut on top – make them days in advance to make preparation even speedier.
10. Unicorn Hot Chocolate
There is no easier way to send a gaggle of young girls into a frenzy than by producing a tray of this electric pink sugar-rush rainbow in a cup. You start with a white chocolate mix before magically imbuing it with colour and sprinkles. So delish it’s like drinking a birthday cake.
There are more delicious kids’ drinks here. We’ve also found some soothing hot beverages to fight the sniffles and viruses.
← Older Post Newer Post →