Chocolate lovers can indulge in these hot cocoa recipes with a Valentine twist

Michael Hepworth

HOLLYWOOD(Spiritsman)2/13/15/–Impress your Valentine this weekend with something that goes beyond the traditional bar of chocolate

Barrel Aged Cocoa

1.5 oz Tom Cat Barrel Aged Gin
.5 oz Green Chartreuse
5 oz Dutch Dark Chocolate Hot chocolate
Mix and Garnish with Rosemary

Peanut Butter Biscotti Cocoa

1 oz Vanilla-Infused brandy
1 oz Peanut Butter Liquor
5 oz Semi Sweet Hot Chocolate
Biscotti Whipped Cream (.5oz to every 3oz of whipping cream)

Evan Sheridan, pastry chef at Herons, the Forbes Five Star-rated restaurant at The Umstead Hotel and Spa shares his recipe for a decadent White Hot Chocolate:

Ingredients

2 oz low sugar white chocolate
1 tsp salt
1 tbs cornstarch
1 qt whole milk
2 ea green cardamom
1 ea Ceylon cinnamon stick
2 ea star anise

Steep

Slowly heat the milk with the spices
Turn off the heat when the mixture comes to a simmer
Cover and allow steeping for approximately 15 minutes

To Finish

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and add the salt
Mix cornstarch with a small amount of water to create “slurry”
Heat the milk to a simmer and pour in the cornstarch slurry (whisking the entire time)
Simmer for approximately 5 minutes while whisking
Turn off the heat and pour in the white chocolate
Garnish with Grand Marnier, a cinnamon stick, some lightly sweetened whipped cream, and an orange twist

Chocolate lovers can indulge in these hot cocoa recipes with a twist, courtesy of Whiteface Lodge’s lead mixologist Zachary Blair:

Sip and savor these cocoa concoctions courtesy of Lake Placid’s Whiteface Lodge and The Umstead Hotel and Spa(Cary, N.C.).

Michael Hepworth

287 S.Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211