I've loved experimenting with drinking chocolates this winter. Swirling shaved chocolate into a saucepan of milk produces a far better result than anything I achieve with hot cocoa mix. I usually use dark chocolate, and sometimes add sugar until the mixture reaches my desired sweetness. That is, until recently -- the mother of my close friend is Colombian, and she brought us a bar of Colombian chocolate designed for melting into hot beverages. I can't get enough of it.The bar is already sweetened perfectly, so you just add it to hot milk and allow it to melt. Once melted, you beat the mixture with a molinillo -- a chocolate whisker with designs native to Colombia, Mexico and other Latin American countries. The result is a deliciously foamy drink with a great chocolate kick. The product I used is called Sweet Chocolate, and the brand is Sol. I found the cheapest bar ($3.99) at Latin Pantry. But I'm sure there are others out there from Colombia as well as from other countries, so please share your favorites!
If you don't have a molinillo, you can use a normal whisk to achieve ideal foaminess. Feel free to add cinnamon as they do in Colombia, or syrups and extracts of your choice.
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-24-2008 @ 3:55PM
sairuh said...
Is the Colombian chocolate you used flavored in any way, like Mexican chocolate? (Other than being sweetened.)
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2-24-2008 @ 4:26PM
Alanna said...
Nope -- it's strictly chocolate, but you can feel free to add your own flavors if you like. Good luck!
-Alanna
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2-24-2008 @ 5:27PM
Paul said...
I use Ibarra (http://chocoibarra.com.mx/index-pc.html) you can buy it at your local Whole Foods or Latin Market. Maybe not the best, I kinda get the feeling it is akin to Quick, but it is very good and perfectly sweet.
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2-25-2008 @ 7:40AM
badfrog said...
Abuelita is the other Mexican brand commonly available in the US, also Goya makes one that I see around. These are all pretty much kid-friendly,i.e., awfully sweet for my taste. I buy Trader Joe's half kilo bars (they have one out now that is 72% cacao solids for four dollars) and make my own to my own taste. And my blender works much better than a molido with a lot less effort.
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2-25-2008 @ 10:12AM
MJ said...
LOve me cocoa.....homemade. I have also been trying different chocolates. Hard to find any in the ethnic stores that arent flavored with something else!
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3-06-2008 @ 3:16PM
Zuper Zee said...
My mom just got back from her native country, Colombia (like LAST NIGHT) and she brought me back some chocolate bars too! The kind she brought has been flavored with a little bit of clavos (cloves), so I cannot wait to try it out! My Colombian family also likes to put a little bit of white cheese at the bottom of the cup and then eat the melted goodness after the hot chocolate is gone. Yum yum!
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