Spiked Hot Chocolate

This fortified hot chocolate recipe is rich and creamy: perfect for relaxing! Do it with rum, bourbon and more.

Fancy a cozy winter drink that warms you from the inside? There is nothing better for relaxing than a house Spiced hot chocolate Recipe! This cup of liquid cocoa is rich and creamy, with an intense chocolate flavor. A hint of aged rum or bourbon gives it a warm complexity with hints of vanilla and oak. Or add crème de menthe for a mild peppermint flavor. Take a sip and we think you’ll agree: it really is stunning. Here are more and some of the best spirits to enhance hot chocolate.

Enriched hot chocolate ingredients

Fortified hot chocolate is regular hot chocolate with added alcohol. Common types of alcohol are bourbon, rum, Baileys or Kahlua, but really anything is allowed. You can use store-bought hot chocolate mix, but of course, it’s best to make this drink with homemade hot chocolate. It only takes 5 minutes to put together and tastes infinitely better than a mix. The ingredients you need are:

• cocoa powder
• 2% milk (or oat milk)
• Sugar
• vanilla extract
• Cinammon
• Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• Liqueur for pricking (see below)

Best alcohol for glazing hot chocolate

What is the best way to gild a hot chocolate? Don’t worry: we’ve run some taste tests for you! Here are our favorite infused hot chocolate liqueurs and some tasting notes, in order of preference:

• Aged or Brown Rum: Favourite! Adds nuances with hints of vanilla and oak
• Bourbon: Another great choice, the sip is deliciously smooth with a whiskey finish
• Crème de menthe or peppermint schnapps: Perfectly minty and smooth! We used crème de menthe, but peppermint schnapps is a substitute if you have it, although it has a slightly stronger flavor. Go hot chocolate with mint schnapps.
• whiskey cream: Creamy, light, almost fruity and sweet. Go to Baileys Hot Chocolate.
• Two: Sweet and subtle and very sweet. Go to Kahlua Hot Chocolate.

Other ideas of types of alcohol

There are many other types of hot chocolate that you can use to make this fortified hot chocolate recipe! We haven’t tested these, but get creative with these more unique tips and let us know what you think:

• Galliano: This vanilla liqueur would add intense notes of vanilla
• cocoa cream: Add even more chocolate flavor with this cocoa liqueur
• Cointreau or Triple Sec: Add a hint of citrus (consider adding half the amount listed, then increase to taste)
• Aunt Maria: This coffee liqueur is a more refined Kahlua and could add more intense coffee notes

How to make infused hot chocolate: some tips

Once you figure out your liquor, making this fortified hot chocolate recipe is really easy! Whisk the ingredients together on the stove, then add the alcohol and you’re done! Here are some tips for the process:

• Consider multiplying the recipe for a crowd. The following recipe makes 2 servings, so multiply as you like.
• Add alcohol in batches or portions. The amounts below indicate the amount of alcohol to add for the 2 servings. You can also just add a shot of 1 ounce of alcohol per 1 cup of hot chocolate! This allows people to add the alcohol of their choice to their drink.
• Top with whipped cream! Of course you can also drink it pure, but it always tastes better with homemade whipped cream.

More hot alcoholic drinks

When winter comes, hot cocktails are on the menu! Here are some of our favorite hot alcoholic beverages of the season: