I was scrolling through Pinterest the other day and came across a recipe that mixed hot chocolate with red wine. Immediately, I started polling everyone–would you drink hot chocolate with red wine? Do you think it sounds good?
I got a pretty mixed reaction with some “ew!” reactions and some “heck yeah!” reactions, but everyone said they would try it once, and that included me! So I went for it.
The result? A creamy hot chocolate with a nice, fruity aftertaste. It had an unexpectedly smooth transition from chocolate to wine, which was thoroughly enjoyable. If you’re a fan of Irish coffees or any other warm and creamy alcoholic drink, this is for you!
Luckily, I had some fancy hot chocolate sitting in the pantry just waiting to be put to good use. I used that and some leftover wine to make this sweet drink. The red wine I used was a blend, which included cabernet sauvignon, merlot, zinfandel, and syrah.
Now there are plenty of variations you can make to this recipe to really personalize it to your own tastes.
While the taste of the wine did come through at the end, I probably would use a fruity pinot noir next time. Syrah is another good choice. That would probably complement the drink better. Of course, you could also get really into it and do wine/chocolate pairings.
You can switch up the hot chocolate with some chopped milk chocolate, maybe some dark chocolate, or even some white chocolate! And you could even try using cocoa powder, too. And there’s nothing wrong with trying out the prepackaged hot cocoa packets.
Now here’s how you make the drink!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red wine (use a fruity one!)
- 3 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup whole milk
- sugar, for serving
Instructions
- In a saucepan, let the red wine simmer over low heat. The longer you let the wine simmer, the less alcoholic it will be.
- Whisk in the chopped chocolate. Continue whisking until melted into the wine.
- Add in the milk and continue to whisk until blended.
- Pour and serve. Add sugar to taste.
Notes
- Regardless of what type of chocolate you're using, stick to one serving to start. You can always add more chocolate.
- Whole milk really makes the hot chocolate creamy. Try to use whole milk if you can. Non-dairy alternatives--almond milk creamer, coconut creamer, etc.
That’s it! It’s dangerously easy to make. Serve it up at holiday parties or when you’re having people over.
Yum
