Pour the spirit into each mug, not into the pot. A spirit simmered in cocoa for an hour keeps only about a quarter of its alcohol, so a spiked pot weakens all night and nobody knows how strong their cup is. Poured at the mug, the Toasted Marshmallow Bourbon Cocoa here is 1.3 standard drinks and the Black Forest Cocoa is 0.4, every time. Fifteen mugs to set out, then the numbers.
1. Salted Caramel Bourbon Cocoa
Caramel sauce, a pinch of flaky salt and bourbon. The salt keeps it from tasting like candy.
Recipe: 1½ oz Elijah Craig Small Batch, 6 oz hot cocoa, caramel sauce, flaky salt. Stir the bourbon into a mug of hot cocoa, top with caramel and a pinch of salt.
2. Verte Chaud (Green Chartreuse Cocoa)
Green Chartreuse in hot chocolate: herbal, sweet and strong. A small pour goes a long way at 55% ABV.
Recipe: 1 oz green Chartreuse, 6 oz hot cocoa, whipped cream. Pour the Chartreuse into a mug of hot chocolate and top with cream.
3. Amaretto Hot Cocoa
Almond liqueur and chocolate taste like a holiday cookie. Toasted almonds on top make it look like effort.
Recipe: 1½ oz amaretto (Disaronno), 6 oz hot cocoa, toasted almonds. Stir the amaretto into hot cocoa, top with cream and almonds.
4. Coffee Liqueur Mocha Cocoa
Coffee liqueur turns cocoa into a mocha. At 20% ABV it's one of the gentlest mugs on the bar.
Recipe: 1½ oz Kahlúa, 6 oz hot cocoa, whipped cream. Stir the coffee liqueur into hot cocoa, top with cream.
5. Scotch Honey Liqueur Cocoa
Drambuie is Scotch with honey and herbs, and it was made for a cold night. Drizzle a little honey on the cream.
Recipe: 1 oz Drambuie, 6 oz hot cocoa, honey drizzle. Stir the Drambuie into hot cocoa, top with cream and honey.
6. Smoky Islay Scotch Cocoa
A splash of peated Scotch makes the cocoa taste like a campfire. Use less than you think.
Recipe: 1 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Old, 6 oz hot cocoa, toasted marshmallow. Stir the Scotch into dark hot chocolate, top with a toasted marshmallow.
7. Rye and Cinnamon Cocoa
Spicy rye and a cinnamon stick. A 100-proof rye keeps its pepper even in a mug of chocolate.
Recipe: 1½ oz Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky BiB, 6 oz hot cocoa, cinnamon stick. Stir the rye into hot cocoa with a cinnamon stick.
8. Black Forest Cherry Cocoa
Cherry liqueur, chocolate and a cherry on top: the cake as a drink.
Recipe: 1 oz Cherry Heering, 6 oz hot cocoa, cherries, chocolate shavings. Stir the cherry liqueur into hot chocolate, top with cream and cherries.
9. Orange Liqueur Chocolate Cocoa
Orange and dark chocolate are an old pair. An orange liqueur and a strip of peel do it in one move.
Recipe: 1 oz Cointreau, 6 oz hot cocoa, orange peel. Stir the Cointreau into hot cocoa, garnish with orange peel.
10. Jamaican Rum Cocoa
Funky Jamaican rum and a grating of nutmeg. One ounce of a rum this strong is plenty.
Recipe: 1 oz Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum, 6 oz hot cocoa, grated nutmeg. Stir the rum into hot cocoa, grate nutmeg over the cream.
11. Coconut and Aged Rum Cocoa
Aged rum and toasted coconut make cocoa taste like a tropical holiday. A sweeter rum needs no extra sugar.
Recipe: 1½ oz Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva, 6 oz hot cocoa, toasted coconut. Stir the rum into hot cocoa, top with cream and toasted coconut.
12. White Hot Chocolate with Reposado
White chocolate and a vanilla-toned reposado. It's the cocoa bar's surprise hit.
Recipe: 1½ oz El Tesoro Reposado, 6 oz white hot chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon. Stir the reposado into white hot chocolate.
13. Fernet and Mint Cocoa
Fernet's minty bitterness in dark chocolate tastes like an after-dinner mint. A small pour is enough.
Recipe: ¾ oz Fernet-Branca, 6 oz hot cocoa, fresh mint. Stir the Fernet into dark hot chocolate, top with cream and mint.
14. Toasted Marshmallow Bourbon Cocoa
Pile marshmallows on top and toast them with a kitchen torch. A 101-proof bourbon holds up under all that sugar.
Recipe: 1½ oz Wild Turkey 101, 6 oz hot cocoa, marshmallows. Stir the bourbon into hot cocoa, pile on marshmallows and toast them.
15. Peppermint Vodka Cocoa
Vodka adds the kick and lets the peppermint lead. A candy cane makes the stirrer.
Recipe: 1½ oz vodka, 6 oz hot cocoa, crushed peppermint, candy cane. Stir the vodka into hot cocoa, top with cream and crushed peppermint.
Should You Spike the Whole Pot of Hot Cocoa?
No. In the USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, alcohol stirred into a hot liquid and taken off the heat kept 85% of its alcohol, while alcohol simmered for an hour kept 25%. A pot of spiked cocoa held hot all evening is getting weaker by the hour, so the first cup and the last cup are different drinks.
Keep the cocoa hot in a slow cooker, set the bottles out beside it, and let each guest pour into the mug. Every mug then matches the table, and anyone who isn't drinking takes cocoa straight from the same pot.
How Strong Is a Mug of Spiked Hot Cocoa?
Stirred into hot cocoa, a spirit keeps most of its strength. At the USDA's 85%, the Toasted Marshmallow Bourbon Cocoa is still about 1.1 standard drinks in the mug.
| Cocktail | Pure alcohol | Standard drinks | Drinks per 750 ml bottle of the base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salted Caramel Bourbon Cocoa | 0.70 oz | 1.2 | 16 |
| Verte Chaud | 0.55 oz | 0.9 | 25 |
| Amaretto Cocoa | 0.42 oz | 0.7 | 16 |
| Kahlúa Mocha Cocoa | 0.30 oz | 0.5 | 16 |
| Drambuie Honey Cocoa | 0.40 oz | 0.7 | 25 |
| Smoky Scotch Cocoa | 0.43 oz | 0.7 | 25 |
| Rye and Cinnamon Cocoa | 0.75 oz | 1.3 | 16 |
| Black Forest Cocoa | 0.24 oz | 0.4 | 25 |
| Orange Chocolate Cocoa | 0.40 oz | 0.7 | 25 |
| Jamaican Rum Cocoa | 0.57 oz | 0.9 | 25 |
| Coconut Rum Cocoa | 0.60 oz | 1.0 | 16 |
| White Chocolate Reposado | 0.60 oz | 1.0 | 16 |
| Fernet Mint Cocoa | 0.29 oz | 0.5 | 33 |
| Toasted Marshmallow Bourbon Cocoa | 0.76 oz | 1.3 | 16 |
| Peppermint Cocoa | 0.60 oz | 1.0 | 16 |
Pure alcohol is each pour multiplied by the ABV on our review of that bottle, plus: green Chartreuse 55%; Disaronno 28%; Kahlúa 20%; Drambuie 40%; Cherry Heering 24%; Cointreau 40%; Fernet-Branca 39%; vodka at 40%, the federal minimum (27 CFR 5.142); a stronger bottle adds more. Bitters dashes and syrups are left out. One standard drink is 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol (NIAAA). Ice and shaking add water, not alcohol, so dilution does not change these figures.
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