Midnight Mezcal hot chocolate recipe

This warming boozy hot chocolate is certainly worth the wait and the perfect winter warmer to make for friends and family come to Halloween or Bonfire Night.

This rich, indulgent hot chocolate is infused with cinnamon, chilli flakes, sea salt, and homemade toasted marshmallow syrup. Made with Zignum Anejo Mezcal, an agave spirit, similar to tequila, this hot chocolate has a warming aftertaste and is suitable for adults only. Ready in just 20 minutes. This recipe makes one but can easily be doubled and is the perfect hot chocolate in a slow cooker if you want to make it even more luxurious and velvety.

Ingredients

• 30ml Zignum Anejo Mezcal
• 250ml milk
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• Zest of ½ orange
• 1 tbsp toasted marshmallow syrup (alternatively use simple syrup)
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp chilli flakes
• Pinch sea salt
• Miniature marshmallows, to garnish

For the toasted marshmallow syrup:

• 250ml water
• 200g sugar
• 60g miniature marshmallows
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Method

1. To make the toasted marshmallow syrup: To make the toasted marshmallow syrup, place the marshmallows on a foil-lined baking tray and place them under a hot grill until well-toasted. Remove from the grill and set aside.
2. Add the water and sugar to a pan, bring to a boil then simmer, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the liquid begins to thicken. Once thickened, add the marshmallows to the pan and stir until the marshmallows are melted and smooth.
3. Leave to cool slightly and avoid stirring, to prevent separating the mixture. Once cooled, strain through a fine mesh sieve, whisk in the vanilla extract and a small pinch of salt, then store in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks. 
4. To make the hot chocolate: Add the milk, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chilli flakes, salt, and orange zest to a saucepan. Whisk to combine and heat on low until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat and froth the milk mixture until foamy.
5. Add the Mezcal and toasted marshmallow syrup to a heatproof glass, then pour over the frothed hot chocolate. Stir gently to avoid aerating the drink, then garnish with miniature marshmallows.

Top tips for making Midnight Mezcal hot chocolate

If you want to prep this drink ahead of time you can make the toasted marshmallow syrup up to two weeks before using - just store it in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use.

This recipe calls for simple syrup (if you'd rather not make the toasted marshmallow syrup) which means a plain, sugar-based syrup such as cane syrup or sugar syrup which you can buy in most large supermarkets or online with retailers such as Amazon. You could also opt for other flavours too.

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