Put the Wine in the Chocolate and Mix it All Up

We may only be a couple of weeks into Autumn, but we can certainly feel the cold of winter coming on (we’ve even gotten a little bit of snow here in Colorado). When the temps outside start to dip we can’t help but think about curling up at home with a warm blanket and a steaming mug of hot chocolate, but we’re not talking about just any hot chocolate, oh no, we want a toasty mug of hot chocolate worth toasting!

You may have seen the popular trend of red wine hot chocolate. It started making its rounds on the internet around 2014 and quickly became a Pinterest phenomenon, even being referred to as THE drink of winter 2016, which makes sense when you think about it; wine and chocolate pairings have been some of the most popular events for ages. So what one must really wonder is why has it taken so long for someone to add red wine to hot chocolate? While we may not have the answer to that question, we do have a delicious red wine, hot chocolate and honey recipe for you to try!

Now you may find yourself scratching your head and thinking, “We’ve got red wine and hot chocolate; why do we need to add honey?” Well, honey actually works its natural magic in beverages by masking and enhancing other ingredients to bring you a perfectly balanced drink, and it’s no different in this recipe. We’re working with bittersweet chocolate in this recipe, so the honey helps bring forth all of the yummy flavors without any bitterness. Also, fun fact – honey is similar to wine in that the color, aroma, and taste of honey varietals can vary based on such climate changes as the amount of rain the region gets.

We recently partnered with our good friend and owner of Liquid Kitchen® Kathy Casey on this richly decadent Red Wine Sipping Chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped




• 1/2 cup full bodied red wine




• 1 cup whole milk




• 2 T honey




• 4 gourmet marshmallows, for garnish




• Red wine salt, for garnish




• Honey, for drizzling

Directions:


In small saucepan over low heat, combine chocolate and wine. Whisk until chocolate is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add milk and honey; increase heat to medium-low and continue to heat until hot but not boiling.


Remove from heat and pour into small cups for serving. Garnish with toasted marshmallows sprinkled lightly with red wine salt if desired.

We want to hear from you! Have you tried red wine hot chocolate? What did you think of it?

Stay toasty out there, friends!