Kick Up Your Cocoa a Notch
Chicago winters are rough and tumble (hellooooo wind). The days may be short but the psets are long. The only upside (is there even one though?) is hot beverages, and lots of them. Coffee is for stressful mornings, after doing said long psets, and tea is for the inevitable cold your roommate is kind enough to share with you, but hot chocolate is purely for enjoyment. Take a pass on Bar Night this quarter (you know you're going to lose your coat and freeze walking home anyway) and add a little pep to your cocoa instead. Fuzzy socks and fleece blanket are optional but highly recommended.
1. Red Wine
Red wine is the LBD of alcohol - drink it from a glass, make coq au vin, or, add it to your cocoa. Mull the wine with spices, sugar and orange and combine with hot chocolate made from real melted dark chocolate and condensed milk for an extra decadent treat. Pile the marshmallow as high as you can.
Everybody loves Girl Scout Thin Mints so enjoy a grown up take on the sweets by adding a splash of peppermint liqueur for a refreshing kick. Top the whipped cream with crushed candy canes for next-level minty freshness.
3. Tequila
Love the Med's Mexicana shake, but not willing to brave the cold late at night? Stir in some tequila and cayenne pepper to turbo-charge your hot chocolate. Bonus points if you use melted cinnamon-flavored chocolate for extra creaminess and oomph.
If spicy is not your thing, go extra sweet with whipped cream vodka and peppermint infused white hot chocolate. Think of it as an after-hours Starbucks Peppermint White Hot Chocolate.
This is for the coffee addicts, looking for a new way to get their fix. Mix in some Kahlúa and top with marshmallows drizzled in salted caramel syrup for the ultimate blend of sweet, bitter and salty.
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