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Cocktail History
The Jalisco Hot Chocolate is a modern cocktail that was created by the editors of PUNCH in New York City, New York and was first published in their book Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails. The recipe is essentially just a spiked version of the sweet and spicy Mexican hot chocolate that adds cinnamon and hot pepper to hot cocoa mix, but this boozy version also adds a hit of blanco tequila for agave flavor.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Milk: This is a liquid rich in calcium and protein that is produced by mammals. We used Prairie Farm Vitamin D Whole Milk. For a dairy-free version of this drink, try oat milk in place of the milk.
Tequila Blanco: This is a spirit made with unaged agave and water. We used Casamigos Tequila Blanco because it has a sweet agave flavor with notes of grapefruit and vanilla. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Agave Blanco Spirit in place of the tequila.
Vanilla Extract: This is a flavoring made with vanilla beans, ethyl alcohol, and water. We used Simply Organic Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract.
Hot Cocoa Mix: This is a sweetened chocolate product made with ground cocoa beans and sugar. We used Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Hot Cocoa Mix because it’s rich and chocolatey.
Ground Cinnamon: This is a spice. We used Simply Organic Ground Cinnamon.
Cayenne Pepper: This is a ground type of moderately hot pepper. We used Simple Organic Cayenne Pepper.
Ancho Chile Powder: This is a ground type of medium hot pepper with a dark, smoky flavor. We used Simply Organic Ancho Chile Pepper.
Dried Pepper: This is a pepper that has been dried. We used an arbol chile pepper.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Saucepan: This is used to warm the ingredients. We used the Cuisinart 3-Quart Stainless Steel Saucepan with Cover.
Spoon: This is used to stir the ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips Silicone Spoon.
Ladle: This is used to transfer the drink to cups. We used the OXO Good Grips Silicone Everyday Ladle.
Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. We used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.
Tasting Notes
The Jalisco Hot Chocolate starts with scents of sweet chocolate with a hint of chili, and it has a creamy, sweet chocolate flavor accented with agave and defined by a deep lingering chili and cinnamon spice that stays in the mouth long after the swallow.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: This drink was an unexpected hit! We both really enjoyed the ways the peppery spiciness played with the rich cocoa flavors, even if the Jalisco Hot Chocolate did end up being a bit too spicy for Kendall’s palate.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“It’s unexpected until you try it, but chocolate and chili spice do go surprisingly well together. Having had a chili-spiced chocolate bar in the past, I knew going in that this would be a very tasty drink, and I was pleased to be right. The tequila adds spirituousness and a bit of agave flavor, but the spicy hot chocolate mix would stand well enough all on its own as a non-alcoholic drink as well.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“I would have never thought to pair spicy peppers with hot cocoa, but here they are working super well together in this drink. It mostly still tastes like chocolate, but there is a noticeable spiciness in the aftertaste that gives the cocktail a unique Mexico-inspired twist. I don’t know that I would make it again for myself because I prefer a more classic blend of hot cocoa flavors, but I liked this version a lot. I would say it’s worth a try if you’re intrigued by it like we were.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH.
Whisk hot cocoa mix into milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add tequila, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and ancho chile powder to pan.
Heat while stirring until warmed through.
Pour hot cocoa into a mug.
Garnish with dried pepper.
Ingredients
Directions
Whisk hot cocoa mix into milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add tequila, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and ancho chile powder to pan.
Heat while stirring until warmed through.
Pour hot cocoa into a mug.
Garnish with dried pepper.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Agave Blanco Spirit in place of the tequila to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Hot Cocktails
If you like this cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Hot Peppermint Patty: A low-proof cocktail made with milk, white peppermint schnapps, dark crème de cacao, white crème de menthe, cocoa powder, whipped cream, and grated chocolate
Pumpkin Cider: An apply brandy and dark rum cocktail made with apple cider, pumpkin cubes, butter, sugar, whole cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and grated nutmeg
Chartreuse Toddy: A brandy cocktail made with water, Green Chartreuse, lemon juice, honey syrup, and star anise
Bailey’s Latte: A low-proof cocktail made with milk, Irish cream liqueur, espresso, whipped cream, and cocoa powder
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