On those bitterly cold days, there is only one beverage that can provide warmth and comfort: hot chocolate.
Hot chocolate was first introduced to Europe in 1528 after Cortez, a Spanish explorer, saw the Aztecs grinding cocoa beans and mixing it with wine, water and peppers. It was not until the 1700s that the drink's popularity spread across Europe. In London, hot chocolate drinkers began adding milk, providing the beverage with its creamy texture.??
Today caf??s are still using milk as a base for the tasty beverage. Starbucks, 661 State St., uses whole milk unless customers specify otherwise and adds chocolate syrup to create a soothing drink.
If requested, they also offer skim, soy, organic and 2 percent milk. Starbucks also offers flavor shots to give the beverage a greater dimension.?? According to the manager, the most popular flavor shots are raspberry and caramel.
After trying both shots, Michelle Stevenson, a UW-Madison junior said, \The caramel hot chocolate has the kick of a candy bar but is not too overpowering."" As for the raspberry hot chocolate, she said, ""It has a burst of raspberry flavor but is too sweet."" A tall, the smallest size offered at Starbucks, is the perfect amount at $2.20 and $.30 for a flavor shot.
If spending $2.50 for hot chocolate is out of your budget range, there are a variety of mixes at the local grocery store that are just as good as the caf?? version.?? A box of eight packages will cost about $2.50. Two of the more popular brands are Swiss Miss and Nestl??.
Tasters who tried Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate and Nestle Rich Chocolate decided the Swiss Miss was the preferred mix.?? Both mixes were made by pouring the powder into a mug and adding ?? cup hot water and stirring thoroughly.??
The Swiss Miss had a velvety texture and contained a perfect combination of sweetness and chocolaty goodness.?? The Nestle was very rich and thick but was almost sickeningly sweet, and according to Paula Lybert, a UW-Madison senior, ""It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.""?? Both mixes contain three grams of fat.??
Swiss Miss offers a fat-free alternative, which uses Splenda as its sweetener instead of sugar.??
According to Lybert, ""It tastes good but is too sweet and the artificial sweetener was the first thing I could taste."" Overall, the fat-free alternative was not satisfying and left a strange aftertaste.
Not only is hot chocolate comforting, but it also contains a small amount of caffeine compared to other caffeinated beverages.??
The Center for Science in the Public Interest says eight ounces of hot chocolate contains five milligrams of caffeine compared to 135 milligrams in regular coffee.?? In fact, hot chocolate contains the same amount of caffeine as decaffeinated coffee.??
In a recent study by Cornell University, hot chocolate has also been found to contain a high level of antioxidants.?? Antioxidants are thought to fight cancer, heart disease and aging.??
According to the study, hot chocolate contains four to five times more antioxidants per serving than black tea and two to three times more than green tea. There cannot be a better reason to drink hot chocolate than to improve your health.??
Recipes
Here are several recipes for making steaming hot chocolate on those chillingly cold days.
Old World Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
6 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 pint heavy cream
vanilla
cinnamon
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate until smooth.?? If a double boiler is not available, a small sauce pan filled with one inch of water can be used with a glass or metal bowl set on top. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Once the chocolate has melted, blend in the cream and heat just to the boiling point, making sure to stir frequently to prevent burning.?? Add a pinch of cinnamon and drop of vanilla. Serve with whipped cream or marshmallows. Makes four cups.
Mexican Mixture
Ingredients:
3-?? cup milk
1/3 cup light brown sugar
?? teaspoon cinnamon
1-?? teaspoon vanilla
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
chips
?? cup Kahlua
Combine the first four ingredients in a sauce pan.?? Bring the mix to a boil, stirring constantly, and immediately reduce to medium heat once a boil is reached. In a small dish, combine chocolate with ?? cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth.'? Whisk the chocolate mixture and Kahlua to the milk mixture. Pour into mugs and serve with a dash of cinnamon on top or whipped cream.??Makes four servings.
If time is an issue but plain hot chocolate just does not sound appealing, try these fast and easy tips to spice up a store-purchased mix.
Adult Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 package Swiss Miss Milk
Chocolate
dash of cinnamon
1/2 shot Kaluha
1/2 shot Amaretto
Heat ?? cup of water in the microwave, while the water is heating, empty the package into a mug, add the cinnamon, Amaretto and Kahlua. Once the water is ready, slowly pour it into the mug while stirring and enjoy. Makes one serving.'?
Many variations on traditional hot chocolate can also be created using the same steps as the ones above. Some popular flavorings that lend themselves well to hot chocolate are vanilla, mint, hazelnut, and cinnamon. Experiment with different amounts to find the perfect combination. Hot chocolate is a versatile drink anyone can fit to their own tastes.
