Bourbon hot chocolate goes wrong in a predictable way. Someone makes a mug from a sweet packet mix, tips in a generous pour of whiskey, and ends up with something thin, sugary and oddly sharp. The fix is to treat it like a cocktail. Make the chocolate dark and barely sweet, then sweeten it with a measured half ounce of Black Walnut Proof Syrup and add the bourbon last, off the heat. You get a cup that tastes of chocolate and whiskey, in that order.
What Makes a Great Bourbon Hot Chocolate
Three things: enough chocolate to stand up to the spirit, enough fat to carry it, and sweetness you control.
The first two are about ingredients. Whole milk and real dark chocolate give the drink the weight it needs. Water and a thin mix do not, and bourbon makes a thin drink taste thinner.
The third is the sweetener slot, and it is the part most recipes skip. A packet mix arrives with its sugar already decided, usually a lot of it. Add bourbon, which reads as sweet on its own, and there is nowhere to go. If you start with unsweetened or dark chocolate, the slot is open, and what you put in it shapes the whole drink. A flavored syrup with bitters cooked in adds sweetness, a second flavor and a little spice in a single pour.
Bourbon Hot Chocolate Recipe
Makes one mug.
Ingredients
- 6 oz whole milk
- 1 oz dark chocolate (around 70 percent), finely chopped
- 1/2 oz Black Walnut Proof Syrup
- 1 1/2 oz bourbon
- Small pinch of salt
- Lightly whipped cream, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it is steaming and small bubbles form at the edge. Do not let it boil.
- Take the pan off the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and the salt, wait 30 seconds, then whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in the syrup.
- Pour the bourbon into a warm mug, then pour the hot chocolate over it and stir.
- Taste. Add another small splash of syrup if you want it sweeter.
- Top with whipped cream and serve.
No bar chocolate in the house? Whisk 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder into the cold milk before heating, and increase the syrup to 3/4 oz.
Why the Sweetener Matters
Dark chocolate and bourbon are both a little bitter, and both have a lot going on. White sugar sweetens them and stops there. Proof Syrup is made in small batches with raw cane sugar, which has a deeper flavor and gives the drink more body, so the finish is rounder and the bourbon sits inside the chocolate.
The aromatic bitters cooked into the syrup matter here too. Spice and chocolate are old friends, and the bitters do quietly what a pinch of cinnamon or clove would do, without a gritty layer at the bottom of the mug.
The proportion is the familiar one: 1/2 oz of syrup per drink. A bottle makes about 32 cocktails, which is a fair number of cold evenings.
Variations
Maple Bacon Bourbon Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 6 oz whole milk
- 1 oz dark chocolate
- 1/2 oz Maple Bacon Proof Syrup
- 1 1/2 oz bourbon
- Pinch of flaky salt on top
Maple, smoke and salt against dark chocolate. It sounds like a dare and tastes like a very good candy bar. This syrup is not vegan.
Best for: people who put salt on their caramel.
Orange Bourbon Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 6 oz whole milk
- 1 oz dark chocolate
- 1/2 oz Orange Proof Syrup
- 1 1/2 oz bourbon
- Strip of orange peel
Chocolate and orange is a familiar pairing for good reason. Express the peel over the mug and leave off the whipped cream so the citrus comes through.
Best for: a holiday evening, or anyone who likes their chocolate on the brighter side.
Traditional Bourbon Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 6 oz whole milk
- 1 oz dark chocolate
- 1/2 oz Traditional Proof Syrup
- 1 1/2 oz bourbon
The plainest version, and the one that shows off the bourbon most. Use a whiskey you would drink neat.
Best for: purists, and a first attempt.
Without the Bourbon
Ingredients
- 6 oz whole milk
- 1 oz dark chocolate
- 1/2 oz Black Walnut or Orange Proof Syrup
- Pinch of salt
Leave the whiskey out and the drink still works, because the syrup is doing the flavoring. Make a pan of this and let each adult add their own pour.
Best for: a mixed crowd, with one pan on the stove.
Technique Tips
Keep the bourbon away from the stove
Add the whiskey in the mug, never in the pan over a flame. Heating spirits on the stove cooks off the aroma, and alcohol vapor near an open burner is a risk you do not need. Off the heat, the bourbon keeps its character.
Do not boil the milk
Boiled milk forms a skin and can scorch on the bottom of the pan, and both flavors end up in the cup. Steaming is hot enough to melt finely chopped chocolate.
Chop the chocolate small
Fine pieces melt in under a minute with a whisk. Large chunks leave you choosing between lumps and putting the pan back on the heat.
Measure the pour
One and a half ounces is the right amount for a 6 oz mug. More than that and the drink thins out and cools down, and the chocolate loses the argument. If you want it stronger, have a second cup later.
Make a Pan Tonight
The method is the same for one mug or six: dark chocolate, whole milk, a half ounce of syrup per drink, and bourbon added at the end. Black Walnut and Maple Bacon are the natural places to start, and the rest are in the full Proof Syrup collection. For another warm drink that uses the same bottle of bourbon, try our hot toddy recipe.
