Drinking a bowl of spicy hot chocolate is common in Mexico on cooler nights or mornings.
Traditionally, the Mexican version contains just stone ground chocolate and water or milk, whisked until foamy using a molinillo.
A carved wooden tool used to create frothy drinks such as hot chocolate, atole, and champurado, a molinillo is simple to use. Place the carved end into a filled pot and twirl the stick rapidly between your palms as if creating a fire to infuse air into the drink.
This updated version of the traditional version includes salt, hot chiles, and a little orange zest.
Chocolate con Chiles
5 cups whole milk
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cinnamon stick, preferably Mexican
Stripped zest of 1 orange
1 ancho chile, seeded
1 guajillo chile, seeded
1 ½ chiles de arbol, seeded
16 oz bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
In a medium pot, combine the milk, cream, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Add the cinnamon, orange zest, and chiles, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Strain the hot liquid through a fine-mesh sieve.
Add the chocolate and stir until dissolved. Let stand 5 minutes then whisk with a molinillo or standard whisk until foamy. Serve hot in mugs.
Adapted from Nopalito by Gonzalo Guzmán.