Hot Cocoa

Courtesy of Wikipedia

A Mayan Chief forbids a person

to touch a jar of chocolate

decadent hot cocoa

appliances

a small pot

a tablespoon

cup and saucer

ingredients

2 tablespoons 100% dark cacao

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 cup of fat free milk

low-fat whipped cream in can

1 shotglass of whiskey (alternatively, 1 shotglass amaretto)

sprinkling of cinnamon

a touch of nutmeg (optional)

a few crushed pecans or pecan pieces (alternatively, walnut)

procedure

1.  put your cup of milk in the pan, and heat on a very low temperature, while stirring in cocoa and sugar.  continue stirring until liquid is steaming hot, but not boiling.

2.  add a shotglass of liquor to your serving cup on saucer.  add hot chocolate.

3.  decorate with a swirl of whipped cream, aiming your spray can at the outer rim of the cup and spiraling inward and up.  sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, and your nuts.

4.  serve immediately as alcohol content evaporates rapidly.

Savor and sleep well!  Nice with some quiet music in the background and candlelight.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Cocoa Beans

additional thoughts

hot chocolate is a sacred drink with a long history.  Smithsonian reports anthropologists discovering cacao residue on pottery excavated in Honduras in 2007 possibly dating back as far as 1400 B.C.E.  Mayans and Aztecs believed the bean had divine properties for special events and rituals around birth, marriage, and death.

as thanksgiving rounds the corner, this is a beautiful evening indulgement, either leading up to the holiday, or at some point in the evening following a meal.  it is also a lovely drink cozying down during any cold or stormy night.

for children, of course, you leave the alcohol out entirely.

cocoa production is fraught with controversy, so choose your cocoa carefully, even if costs more, or don't buy it at all, as some companies employ child labor and slaves in order to harvest and produce.

Courtesy of Tree Hugger

Kuapa Kokoo Union farmer

more information on child labor and slavery in your chocolate here and here with a slave free chocolate list.

as a wise food philosopher once said, "what is divine can easily become demonic."  so make your hot cocoa truly a divine experience, don't support the evils of slavery, and buy slave-free chocolate.

- o.s.r.