Bourbon Hot Chocolate

The one thing better than hot cocoa? Boozy hot cocoa. 

Hot chocolate certainly isn’t anything new. The ancient Mayan geniuses were drinking chocolate as early as 500 BC. The original version contained a dash of chili peppers and cornmeal and was poured back and forth between two cups until it was thick and rich. Oh…and it was served cold. King Charles V of Spain continued to serve it cold after Cortez brought it back to his court in the 1500s. But when it spread to chilly, rainy London in the 1700s it quickly morphed into a hot beverage to be enjoyed at the trendy chocolate houses. 

London is also where the addition of milk became popular, all thanks to Jamaica. Hans Sloane, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, ripped the idea from a Jamaican recipe in the 1700s and spread the word to the English. And that’s how hot chocolate was served for over 200 years until American companies debuted packaged, powdered instant cocoa in 1961. 

But you’ll have to put away the Nestlé and Swiss Miss for this recipe. This dessert cocktail is all about real chocolate, warm milk, and of course – whiskey. Similar to an Irish-American Coffee cocktail, the Bourbon Hot Chocolate takes a classic drink like coffee or hot chocolate and just spikes it. The best part is, you can use whatever kind of milk you want and whatever kind of whiskey you like. 

While we’ll be sticking with bourbon whiskey, don’t be afraid to switch things up with Scotch or rye. Just remember that marshmallows are always mandatory.