Move over hot cocoa! When my regular coffee shop put up a little sign advertising Xcolatl (or something unpronouceable like that), I got curious. Did a little research. The recipes I found for "authentic" Aztec chocolate drinks sounded horrible... but I found one that claimed to be a traditional chocolate drink still served in Mexico, made with Ibarra Mexican chocolate (which I love), and cayenne.

Consider my curiosity piqued. Out came the Ibarra and a bar of Dagoba 74% cacao chocolate, and the cayenne... and this was the result:

Spicy Sipping Chocolate
1/2 disk Ibarra chocolate
1 oz. 70%+ cacao chocolate
(I suppose you could use bittersweet chocolate, but it wouldn't be the same)
12 oz. milk or soy milk
(I used soy milk)
1/8 t. cayenne powder.

Heat the milk over a low flame, and stir cayenne powder in when the milk is warm.

Grate/chop/make small pieces out of the chocolate.

When milk is "can't stick your finger in it but not yet boiling" temperature (love those precise directions, don't'cha!), start adding the chocolate, while stirring constantly.

When chocolate is totally melted into the very hot milk, pour into a high-sided container, and use an electric whisk (like an Aerolatte), stick blender, or regular whisk to froth it.

Serve in demitasse cups, if you want to be stylish.

Alternate option: Refrigerate it, and froth & serve cold.

Believe it or not, this recipe will totally serve four people. It's that rich. That's how I learned it was also good cold. Because I put 3/4 of the cup I made away in the fridge overnight. Couldn't finish it!

The cayenne just adds a nice "kick" to it, without being spicy enough to scare anyone.

Amazing stuff.

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