The Best Recipe for Homemade Hot Chocolate With Red Wine (2024)

FAQs

What is the common ingredient in chocolate and red wine? ›

For example, both chocolate and wine have tannins in them. These polyphenols are the reason your mouth dries out after taking a sip of dry red wine or eating a morsel of dark chocolate.

Think of it as matching sugar with sugar. Sweet white chocolate pairs well with sweet wines high in residual sugars and bitter darks with dry wines with just a hint of residual sugar. A good rule of thumb is to always pair wines that are equally or slightly more sweet than the chocolate being eaten with it.

Adding a splash of alcohol like rum, brandy, or whisky can transform your hot chocolate into a truly indulgent and sophisticated drink.

Red blends are natural pairing options due to their penchant for being a bit more fruit-forward. In fact, any fruit-forward wine will work. Pinot Noirs from the New World will pair quite nicely, blending fruit acidity with creamy chocolate for a match made in heaven.

Some research has shown that antioxidant polyphenols, including resveratrol, may have anti-inflammatory properties and improve cardiac health. Both red wine and cacao—the unprocessed source of chocolate—have high amounts of polyphenols. Research in mice has shown large amounts of resveratrol improve cardiac health.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot are winners. For higher cacao percentages, you may have to go for sweeter wines that balance the bitterness. Some ideas are Ruby Port or Italian dessert wine.

Pairing Chocolate with Liquor

Though a few spirits fall out of these categories, it's generally accepted that the six types of distilled spirits are: brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey. Each pairs particularly well with chocolate, but the pairings depend on the blend in question.

Place dark chocolate and 2 ounces of vodka into small heatproof bowl (glass bowls work best), stir until chocolate is evenly coated and set aside. Fill a small pot ¼ full with water and heat on medium. Once water starts to steam, place bowl of chocolate and vodka on top and allow chocolate to melt.

You temper chocolate to give it a hard, snappy texture. Adding any liquid would be counter-productive to this goal. All normal alcohol has some percentage of water in it (as much as 60%, for example, for a typical vodka). Small quantities of water will make chocolate seize turning into a grainy, paste-like mess.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), baked or simmered dishes that contain alcohol will retain 40% of the original amount after 15 minutes of cooking, 35% after 30 minutes and 25% after an hour. But there's no point at which all of the alcohol disappears.

What is the secret ingredient in gourmet hot chocolate? ›

Marshmallows: The Unsung Hero

Believe it or not, the secret ingredient in gourmet hot chocolate is none other than marshmallows. These fluffy, sweet confections are the unsung heroes of the hot chocolate world, adding a delightful creaminess and hint of sweetness that takes the drink to a whole new level.

Mexican hot chocolate includes various spices, including cinnamon, cloves, and ancho chili pepper. These ingredients give it a unique flavor that is sweet and slightly spicy. The chocolate used in Mexican hot chocolate is typically dark chocolate, which has a higher cocoa content than milk chocolate or white chocolate.

Wine is more like Chocolate than most people think. They are both from a fruit and are fermented as a part of the creation process. There are important “flavor notes” for both (when chocolate is pure). Both present unique and interesting flavor profiles.

Tannins. Tannins are polyphenolic compounds found in both wine (especially red wines) and dark chocolate. In wine, tannins contribute to the structure, complexity, and astringency, often giving a drying sensation in the mouth.

Researchers at the University of Exeter and the University of Brighton in the UK have recently concluded that old human cells can undergo rejuvenation after exposure to chemicals like resveratrol, a substance that is present in red wine, as well as dark chocolate.

A wine lover might actually be identifying a chemical compound shared with cherries or chocolate, compounds like esters, pyrazines, terpenes, thiols, lactones and more. The influence of specific fermentation yeasts and oak barrels can introduce even more flavors and aromas.