Spiked Hot Chocolate + Christmas PJs + Holiday Movies = Best. Night. Ever.
There’s something so cozy about this time of year. Whether it’s the glow of the lights on the Christmas tree, a belly full of comfort food (you’ve made our Healthy Shepherd’s Pie, right?!), or simply reliving the magic of the season through the eyes of little ones, the holiday season makes us feel oh-so fuzzy and warm. Or, perhaps it’s just this boozy hot chocolate we’ve been sipping?
Seriously, Make This Spiked Hot Chocolate Already
Spiked with bourbon, Frangelico, and a super-easy homemade Irish cream, this alcoholic hot chocolate makes a cozy night-in even cozier. We particularly like to drink it curled up in our peppermint-striped PJs with a holiday movie streaming, though it’s also great company while wrapping gifts (or browsing the internet for last-minute presents). Whip it up, then let it help you wind down—it’s just the thing we all need this time of year.
How to Make Our Easy Spiked Hot Chocolate
A little bit of prep and you’ll be ready to make our alcoholic hot chocolate recipe all winter long. Here’s how to make boozy hot chocolate:
Make a big batch of our Homemade Irish Cream and keep on-hand for this spiked hot chocolate recipe. Bottle extras for cute DIY gifts for friends. OR just buy some Irish cream—that’s OK too.
Heat things up. Warm together a mix of milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in chopped chocolate until smooth.
Make it boozy! Stir in bourbon, Frangelico, and premade Irish cream.
Top with marshmallows or a swirl of whipped cream.
Cocoa Powder vs. Chocolate
Don’t get us wrong—we’ll take chocolate any which way we can get it! But typically, when a recipe calls for cocoa powder instead of chocolate, or vice versa, there’s a pretty good reason why.
Cocoa powder. Mostly made up of cocoa solids, cocoa powder has less cocoa butter in it, making a more pronounced overall chocolate flavor, overall. You’ll often see “Dutch-process” on your cocoa label, which means it’s been treated with alkali to mellow sharpness and increase pH (important in some recipes). You can totally use it to make spiked hot cocoa, just adjust the milk and sugar accordingly, and blend super-well to keep it from tasting too grainy.
Chocolate. With its higher ratio of cocoa butter to cocoa solids, using solid chocolate often results in a smoother, creamier texture—which is why we love it for making hot chocolate (and specifically this hot chocolate with alcohol). We opt for a moderately dark 60%, which gives our alcoholic hot chocolate just enough of a grownup taste without any bitterness.
The Best DIY Christmas Gifts
Who doesn’t love a homemade gift? Here are some of our favorite recipes we love to gift to family and friends:
Because boozy gifts usually make the best gifts, whip up a batch of our Homemade Irish Cream, bottle, and affix with a recipe card for making this Adult Hot Chocolate.
Our Cranberry Chutney makes the perfect hostess gift—pair with a fave cheese or two and secure your annual invite to the party.
Whip up a batch of our homemade Rhubarb-Mint Syrup and gift with a bottle of your favorite tequila—margaritas are served!
Tools to Make Alcoholic Hot Chocolate
The best spiked hot chocolate recipe calls for the best tools. Lucky for you, you don’t need many.
- Small saucepan. Just room enough to hold 4 cups of milk and 6 ounces of chopped chocolate.
- Whisk. Santa brought us this one last year and all other whisks have since been banished to the kids’ play kitchen.
- Holiday mugs for serving. Because ‘tis the season.
Need Cocktails for a Crowd?
Get the holiday party started with these festive holiday drink recipes your friends will love.
- Make your party all the more merry and bright with our festive Holiday Sangria.
- Cardamom-infused gin and a rosemary-spiked syrup add a spicy-herbaceous twist to this Grapefruit Cardamom Gin Fizz.
Yay for Adulting!
Our spiked hot chocolate recipe have you doing three cheers for grownup drinks? Show us your holiday spirit and tag us @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Now excuse us while we go mix up a second round.
