The Best Ways to Spike Hot Chocolate | The Chocolate Professor

As a child nothing proved quite as delightful as stirring a packet of instant cocoa (with mini marshmallows, of course!) into a mug of boiling water following an afternoon of sledding, snowman-building, and snowball fights with friends in the neighborhood. Today I incorporate hot chocolate into my work as a pastry chef and recipe developer, often combining it with alcohol for a grown-up twist on this childhood snow day staple. Blending alcohol into the drink itself—or infusing it into a whipped cream topping—offers a nostalgic alternative to other hot alcoholic beverages like eggnog, mulled wine, and hot buttered rum.

Spiked hot chocolate works just as nicely for entertaining as it does for fireside sipping on a cold evening or warming up after a day on the slopes. But what makes the perfect boozy chocolate beverage? Are some liquors or liqueurs better for hot chocolate than others? And can you ever add too much? To find out, I asked beverage industry professionals to share their top tips for spiking this classic winter drink.

Choose Your Ingredients Carefully

Although it sometimes takes little more than a kettle of boiling water and a packet of instant mix to satisfy a cocoa craving, thoughtfully chosen (non-alcoholic) ingredients can enhance texture and flavor, creating an elevated hot chocolate beverage.

For a rich and velvety drink, opt for whole milk, cream, or a creamy plant-based alternative. "I personally never make my hot chocolate with water," says Linda Nivar, Bar Manager at Tiki Chick in New York City. "I prefer the rich and creamy texture milk[s] like coconut, oat and whole milk can add and then I heat the milk with difference spices for a more intense and layered flavor experience."

And, use a chocolate which will complement the milk and liquor or liqueur you've chosen, while also bringing its own flavor profile to the mix. Josh Johnson, Pastry Chef at Guittard Chocolate Company, recommends a chocolate in the 61-74% cacao range (such as Guittard's 66% or 74% Semisweet Organic Chocolate wafers) noting that, "a higher percentage chocolate will yield bolder flavors." For boozy hot chocolate, Johnson reaches for aged bourbon, pointing out that the spirit's "notes of caramel, vanilla, and sometimes nutty characteristics," pair particularly well with a 66% chocolate.

Think Like a Barista

When planning your hot chocolate creation, look to the local Starbucks for inspiration. "Think along the lines or references of a traditional coffee shop," says Deisha Banner, Lead Mixologist and Owner/Founder of A Glass Above LLC, , noting that flavors like vanilla, honey, and caramel represent popular additions to coffee and non-alcoholic hot chocolate drinks. For spiked hot chocolate, Banner suggests looking for spirits and liqueurs which "provide those same flavors with the addition of the alcohol."

Choose a Flavor Profile

Old Fashioned Crème Liqueurs

"With a traditional hot chocolate you can either lean into the sweetness, or contrast with something going in the other direction," says Lissa Brennan of Con Alma Restaurant and Jazz Bar in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who suggests embracing the sweeter notes by spiking your hot chocolate with Tempus Fugit Spirits like Crème de Moka, Crème de Cacao, or Crème de Banane for a rich, textured drink.

Coffee

Chocolate-covered espresso beans, tiramisu, opéra cake, and the Starbucks Caffè Mocha all share one common trait: they pair chocolate and coffee for an indulgent treat which also packs a bit of a caffeine buzz.

To bring a similarly buzzy (and boozy!) element to your mug of hot chocolate, try Caffè Borghetti, an Italian coffee liqueur made from a recipe dating all the way back to 1860. Joshua Coates, a Pennsylvania-based beverage consultant, suggests a 1-ounce or 1-and-one-half-ounce portion for espresso notes and a touch of extra sweetness.

Or, opt for Cantera Negra Café, a Gold Medal winner at the 14th Annual New York International Spirits Competition (NYISC) Nivar likes this premium coffee liqueur because it adds "rich coffee and agave flavor that also has notes of hazelnut, without making your hot chocolate too boozy."

New York City bartender Tony Del Pino also recommends a hint of coffee, preferring either a coffee liqueur, or a liquor like Three Olives Espresso Flavored Vodka, an NYISC Double Gold winner in 2023.

Spicy

In 2023, the combination of sweet and spicy exploded on social media, so much so that it spawned a new adjective: "swicy." Found in everything from chipotle cinnamon popcorn to hot honey pizza, this blend of sweetness and heat also makes for a tasty hot chocolate.

Ant Cook, a Beverage Brand Positioning Representative in the United Kingdom, European Union, and United Arab Emirates, suggests adding equal parts bourbon, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, and Bouvery CV (an eco-friendly, sustainable liqueur made from organic cocoa and premium vodka) to booze up your mug. Meanwhile, Carolina González of Urban Bar LLC recommends pairing the same chile liqueur with a dash of mezcal for a "savory and bold flavor profile" with a spicy kick.

Or, heat things up by introducing spices alongside your liquor or liqueur of choice. Nivar infuses smoked chipotle into Ron Colón 81 Proof Coffee and Copalli Cacao to create "a hot chocolate meets spicy mocha" beverage, while Brennan recommends adding a little bit of cayenne pepper and cinnamon, along with an aged tequila such as Corralejo, for that perfect blend of sweet-meets-heat.

Caramel

Eve Gagnon, Co-Owner/Manager of ROVE Bar & Kitchen in Forest Hills, New York, and Banner, also recommend embracing sweet dessert flavors by adding caramel vodka such as Stoli S alted Caramel, whipped cream vodka, or vanilla vodka to your mug.

Double Chocolate

For true chocoholics, opt for a chocolate-infused liqueur, or a spirit containing chocolate notes. "Consider matching chocolate flavours," says Cook, recommending Bouvery CV or Tequila Black 38. "Both [...] use pure chocolate and cream with their chosen spirits and are excellent choices." Or try Baileys Chocolate Liqueur, says González, noting that this new addition to the Baileys line "adds a luscious touch" to any hot chocolate.

Rylie Hightower, Managing Owner and Food & Beverage Director for The Lumbar, a craft bar and restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, suggests Ardbeg An Oa Single Malt Scotch, observing that "the depth of the chocolate and pepper notes in Ardbeg An OA and, of course, its signature peated character make a home hot chocolate for the books." Paula Lukas, a New York City Beverage Consultant and Mixologist, adds that this NYISC Double Gold medal-winning scotch provides "just the right amount smokiness" plus "a touch of salinity and toffee with fantastic warming notes from the PX Sherry cask [to] bring out the rich chocolate flavor."

Herbal

Take part in a growing beverage trend by spiking your hot chocolate with plant-based and herbal liqueurs like Chareau Liqueur, an aloe-based spirit made from locally sourced California ingredients. According to Brennan, this spirit features notes of "bright, crisp mint," evoking the "vibrant freshness" of a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie.

Or, try a 1-ounce portion of an amaro, a type of Italian type of liqueur made from herbs and other plant products like flowers, roots, and citrus peels such as Brucato Amaro Chapparel, a 2023 Gold Winner in the NYISC. This herbal liqueur pairs especially well with dark chocolate, creating what Coates calls a "complex and delightful" drink. Read more about Brucato Amaro.

Nutty

Like chocolate and coffee, this combination draws inspiration from a classic dessert coupling: nuts and chocolate.

London Bar Manager Matthieu Guglielmetti recommends a nut-based liqueur such as Frangelico or Disaronno. "Frangelico is a hazelnut liqueur that pairs beautifully with hot chocolate," he explains. "Alternatively, Disaronno is an almond liqueur that would [also] work well." Guglielmetti emphasizes that the sweetness of these nutty liqueurs will create an ultra-indulgent hot chocolate beverage for those with a sweet tooth.

Fruity

Like alcohol, chocolate includes a range of flavor elements, including earthy, nutty, floral, spicy, caramel, or fruity notes. If fruit flavors are your thing, try emphasizing the fruity notes in a mug of hot chocolate by matching it with a fruit-based liqueur.

Try an orange liqueur such as Coint reau, suggests Guglielmetti. Or for a tropical-inspired hot chocolate, Del Pino recommends adding Appleton Estate Rum and Giffard Banane du Brésil liqueur. "It's such a complex combo, says Del Pino, "especially with a hot dark chocolate beverage." Lukas seconds Appleton Estate (a 2023 NYISC winner), noting that "the tropical fruit and spices really bring out the cocoa goodness."

Old School Classics

Sometimes nothing beats a classic. For a dose of nostalgia, doctor up your hot chocolate with a spirit or liqueur which transports you back to college bonfires, camping weekends, festive holiday parties, or a frigid New Year's Eve. "My favorite way to booze up a traditional hot chocolate is very classic," says Guglielmetti. "I go for Bailey's 99% of the time."

"If we're going the 'fun' route, I'm going to put Fireball [a cinnamon-spiced whiskey] in my flask of hot chocolate 9 times out of 10," adds Hightower. "Is it silly? Yes. Is it delicious? Absolutely."

Don't Skimp on the Toppings

Be sure to remember the finishing touches, especially if serving a crowd. "General rule of thumb is not to neglect the toppings," says Gagnon, whose recommendations for garnishing your boozy beverage include torched mini marshmallows, candy canes, Andes Mints, wafer straws, or crushed graham crackers around the rim of the mug.

Highland Park shares a suggestion for adding even more drama to a mug of hot chocolate spiked with 1.5 ounces of whiskey, they recommend taking 2-3 marshmallows and coating them with Highland Park using a pastry brush, before lightly coating the top and bottom of the marshmallow in brown sugar, then lightly torching the top of the marshmallow before placing it into the mug.

Make It Your Way

Above all else, prepare your spiked hot chocolate the way you want it to taste. "All drinks are enjoyed best when they’re made with things the drinker enjoys," says Hightower. "There are no wrong answers when it comes to being creative."

Hot chocolate is flexible, agrees Coates, so feel free to make it the way you'll enjoy drinking it, although be careful about adding too much alcohol, which can make your drink taste less like boozy hot chocolate and more like straight booze.

Unless, of course, that is how you like it, in which case go to town.