Cold Hot Chocolate

After coming home from our trip, I decided to clean up my pantry closet and found two interesting items that I had completely forgotten about. One was a brand new wok ring that came with my Dacor stove top. However, I actually do not own a wok itself. Fortunately, the CSN Stores have contacted me at the same time to offer a gift certificate for a review of one of their products. CSN stores offer an excellent selection of items, such as any kind of bistro sets at Dining Rooms Direct.com, contemporary furniture at All Modern.com, and all essential kitchen tools and accessories at Cookware.com. I chose this wok set and when I publish my review, I will also have a giveaway for the same wok set, so please stay tuned for the review/giveaway post, coming up within the next few weeks.

The other interesting item that I found was a set of cordial syrups from Fee Brothers, featuring six different flavors, including French Vanilla, Irish Cream, Butterscotch, Hazelnut, and Caramel. I immediately used these syrups to make flavored milkshakes and to pour over ice cream.



Also, at the same time, I was thinking of the best way to replicate the Cold Hot Chocolate flavored with caramel that we had in Eat at Milton's in Athens, and the Fee Brothers Caramel Cordial Syrup was the perfect solution. The cold hot chocolates were really delicious with the caramel cordial syrup as well as with the other flavors such as Irish Cream and Butterscotch.



Ingredients:

chocolate syrup
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, 70%, finely chopped

for each serving
1/3 cup chocolate syrup
2/3 cup cold milk
2 tablespoons cordial syrup (such as Caramel, Butterscotch, or Irish Cream)
ice cubes

Directions:

In a small saucepan, mix cold water, cocoa powder and sugar. Heat until the cocoa and sugar are completely dissolved and the syrup starts to thicken. Take off the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate. Cool.



For each serving (about 1 1/4 cup) of cold hot chocolate, place 1/3 cup of chocolate syrup, 2/3 cup cold milk, and 2 tablespoons (or to taste) of cordial syrup in blender or the mixing cup for the immersion blender. Blend well until frothy at the top.

Fill the serving glass with ice and pour the cold hot chocolate over the ice. Place in the freezer for 2-3 minutes to chill and let the foam set.

Some useful notes:

• The bittersweet chocolate is optional and you can make the chocolate syrup with just the cocoa powder. The bittersweet chocolate does add the creaminess and more of the chocolate flavor to the drink.
  
• If you only want the chocolate flavor, skip the cordial syrup. You can also add another ounce of bittersweet chocolate.
  
• You can use other ingredients to add the flavors to the cold hot chocolate such as liqueurs or extracts. Just taste test to get the right amount of flavor (a splash of a liqueur or a drop or two of an extract should be enough).
  
• You can make homemade syrups. For example to make a caramel syrup: melt 1/2 cup sugar, stirring constantly until it turns into golden liquid, then slowly stir in a 1/2 cup of hot water and boil for a few minutes, stirring. Cool and store in the airtight container until ready to use.
  
• If you have leftover chocolate syrup, store it in an air tight container and use it later for another serving of cold hot chocolate.
  
• You can also make a larger quantity of the chocolate syrup and use it as a homemade chocolate syrup for ice cream sundaes and other desserts.