Nightcap Spiked Hot Chocolate with Dark Rum and Burnt Orange

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A cocktail-bar take on hot chocolate: real chopped dark chocolate melted into scalded milk and cream until it drinks like thin ganache, then spiked with aged dark rum and a little bourbon and perfumed with an orange peel caramelized over the flame. It's finished with loose, barely-sweet whipped cream and flaky salt so the chocolate stays bittersweet instead of sugary. Four mugs, one saucepan, about twenty minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate (66–72%), finely chopped
• 2 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup or honey
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)

• 6 tbsp aged dark rum
• 2 tbsp bourbon
• 1 navel orange (for wide peel strips)

• 3/4 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tsp powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• flaky sea salt, for finishing
• grated dark chocolate, for finishing

Instructions

1. Whip the cream first so it's ready: in a chilled bowl, beat the 3/4 cup cold heavy cream with the powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla on medium speed for 60–90 seconds, just to soft, floppy peaks that still slump off the whisk. Refrigerate until serving. Do not take it to stiff peaks — you want it to melt into the chocolate.
2. Warm the mugs: fill four 8-ounce mugs with hot tap water and let them stand while you make the base. A cold mug drops a hot cocktail 15°F in seconds.
3. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon (if using) with about 1/4 cup of the milk to make a smooth, lump-free paste. This step is what keeps the cocoa from floating in specks.
4. Whisk in the remaining milk, the 1/2 cup heavy cream, and the corn syrup. Set over medium heat and cook, whisking often, for 4–6 minutes, until the mixture steams heavily and reaches 180–185°F on an instant-read thermometer. Do not let it boil.
5. Pull the pan off the heat, add the chopped bittersweet chocolate all at once, and let it sit undisturbed for 1 minute. Then whisk steadily for 30–45 seconds until the mixture is glossy, uniform, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the 1 tsp vanilla.
6. Burn the orange peel: with a vegetable peeler, cut four wide strips of orange zest, avoiding the white pith. Hold a strip skin-side down with tongs 2 inches above a gas flame (or press it into a dry skillet over medium-high heat) for 3–5 seconds, until the oils spark and smell toasted and the edges just darken. Repeat with the rest.
7. Empty the hot water from the mugs and dry them. Divide the rum and bourbon among the four mugs — 1 1/2 tablespoons rum plus 1 1/2 teaspoons bourbon each — then rub one burnt orange strip around the inside rim of each mug and drop it in.
8. Return the chocolate to low heat for 20–30 seconds to bring it back to about 165°F, then pour it over the spirits, dividing evenly. Stir each mug once with a spoon to combine; the alcohol will not cook off at this temperature.
9. Spoon a loose cloud of the whipped cream onto each mug, grate a little dark chocolate over the top, and finish with a few grains of flaky salt. Serve immediately, with a spoon.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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