Spiked Hot Chocolate with Rose, Cardamom, and Toasted Almonds
For January’s cocktail, I decided to keep it warm like I did for December’s Chinese Herbal Mulled Wine (since it’s still winter) and make a boozy rendition of hot chocolate. The idea to make spiked hot chocolate for this month’s herbal cocktail series came serendipitously. I had strained out a elixir that I made, and was wondering how I could repurpose the herbs that the alcohol was steeping in for over six weeks. I made hot chocolate with it and was pleasantly surprised by the taste.
So, I decided to take it to the next level and create an actual recipe! This is also inspired by Ix Cafe’s rose almendrado (almond) cacao, which I used to get all the time in Brooklyn after qigong class with my acupuncturist Taganyahu Swaby, as well as inspired by my herbal teacher Karen Rose’s famous shatavari, rose, and cardamom milk. Ugh, herbs do such wonderful things in drinks.
Rose brings the heart-opening and cardamom provides the warmth and passion. When combined with chocolate and fresh toasted almonds… talk about sensuality! I hope you make this drink to love all up on yourself (and your loved ones, if they’d be so lucky to receive a cup of hot chocolate from you). I made this with the intention to connect to my heart and self-worth, so that my relational and creative work is coming from that space.
As for the last steps of this recipe… you can “spike” it by adding your choice of aged spirit, such as rum, brandy, whiskey, añejo tequila, etc. I added rum and loved it, but you can use what you have, or none at all. I find that ½ oz gives a nice and light boozy taste, without being overpowering or hindering my ability to get other things done during the day, but you can try it out and add more to taste.
If I could describe it in a few words, it would be: rich, decadent, smooth, luxurious… and pure chocolatey love.
Spiked Hot Chocolate with Rose, Cardamom, and Toasted Almonds
Video tutorial coming soon on Instagram @willows_touch.com!
Makes 1 serving (1 cup)
1 cup milk of choice
2 tbsp cocoa powder
30g chocolate
1 tbsp rose
1 tbsp toasted almond, chopped
5 cardamom pods
½ oz rum (or skip it altogether if you want to keep it booze-free!)
Chop about ¼ cups of almonds (or more if you want more on hand) in a food processor and toast it for 5 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the almond pieces gently with a spoon about 3 minutes in to toast evenly. Remove from the oven when the almonds are light brown and let it cool.
Grind the cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle.
Add the cardamom, rose, cocoa powder, chocolate (you can use your favorite chocolate bar, which is approx two 1.5 in. squares, or chocolate chips), toasted almond, and milk to a pot.
Simmer the mixture over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Strain out the hot chocolate into a mug.
Add the rum and stir. (I opted for .5 oz, but if you want a stronger taste you can try 1 oz.)
Garnish with rose, cardamom, almonds, or whatever your heart desires (think marshmallow, whipped cream, etc.)
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