Chai Hot Chocolate

ABOUT

What’s better than sipping on a warm, rich cup of homemade hot chocolate on a cold winter night? My chai hot chocolate recipe of course. Made with chai tea and your dairy of choice, this is the easiest — and most delicious — chai hot chocolate recipe around.

Masala chai, which translates to “spiced tea,” is an Indian beverage typically made with black tea, milk, sugar, and a combination of various herbs and spices. These spices include: cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, star anise, and ginger.

While I love making my recipes from scratch, sometimes certain ingredients aren’t as easy to come by or require a specialty online order. That’s why for my chai hot chocolate recipe, I swap out the whole spices used to make masala chai for chai tea bags.

Since this recipe swaps out half of the dairy traditional hot chocolate recipes call for with chai tea, using a quality tea is the key to getting a cup of hot chocolate full of the winter spices that we all love. Best of all, you still get a nice, creamy and full-bodied cup of hot chocolate.

While you can throw in a shot of your favorite whiskey, this drink stands up on its own and can easily be batched for a crowd.

This drink is best served in a coffee mug or hot toddy glass.

Recipe Type: Cocktails

Glassware: Coffee Mug/Hot Toddy Glass

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cup chai tea (made with four tea bags)

  • 2 cup dairy (I used cashew milk)

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • Pinch of salt

  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

  • Optional: 6 oz. whiskey separated into four coffee mugs

  • Additional toppings: marshmallows, whipped cream, cinnamon sticks, star anise, chocolate syrup, spiced cocoa powder, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. If using hot toddy glasses, warm your glasses by filling them up with boiling water. This is necessary if adding alcohol to the drink

  2. Prepare chai tea by adding 16 - 20 oz. of water to a saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil

  3. Add four chai tea bags and remove from heat

  4. Let tea steep for at least 5 minutes and discard tea bags

  5. Heat tea over medium heat and add the following ingredients to the saucepan: cocoa powder, turbinado sugar, honey, and salt

  6. Stir until evenly combined

  7. Once the mixture has reached a very gently boil, add in the dairy of your choice

  8. Stir until combined and heat until warm (Do not bring to a boil)

  9. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract

  10. Add whiskey to your coffee mugs. If you are using hot toddy glasses, you can discard the water that was used to warm your glasses.

  11. Fill your mugs with hot chocolate and garnish with topics of your choice

  12. Enjoy

Cocktails, Holiday Cocktails, Dessert CocktailsBartender Barrybartender barryComment