Winter is fast approaching whether we’re ready for it or not. As we move further into the depths of Fall, it’s time to get creative with how we’re going to survive the coming frigid months. These 3 ways to make red wine hot chocolate are perfect for getting into the festive mood.
Red wine hot chocolate is the perfect drink for cozying up and warming your soul. After a long day of cooking, cleaning and conversations, this spiked hot bev will soothe your tired voice and give you major chill vibes. (Plus, it takes minimal effort).
1) Classic Red Wine Hot Chocolate
Here’s What You Need:
Serves up to 8 mugs- 5 oz finely chopped dark chocolate (if you aren’t a fan of dark, feel free to use milk chocolate)
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 cups whole milk (whole milk is recommended, but skim or 1% can be used if you like your hot cocoa skinny)
- A pinch of salt
-
1 ½ cups fruity red wine
- Our recommendations: Bright Cellars’ Bushtelly Shiraz – this wine has bold flavor notes of juicy plum, strawberry, and raspberry, along with campfire smoke, spicy black pepper, and eucalyptus on the nose.
Here’s What You Do:
- Whisk together the finely chopped chocolate, unsweetened cocoa powder, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large saucepan.
- Add the milk and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat for approx. 5 minutes. Whisk as you go to prevent the chocolate from burning!
- When the mix is smooth and the chocolate is melted, add the dash of salt and stir.
- Remove the liquid from the heat and add your red wine of choice! Be sure to take the saucepan off the burner once you’re ready to add the vino, otherwise, the alcohol will be cooked out of the wine (which pretty much defeats the purpose, amirite?).
- Pour the red wine hot cocoa into your 8 cutest mugs. For an especially aesthetically pleasing Instagram pic, add a dash of cocoa and a cinnamon stick for garnish.
- Call up your best friends and enjoy your night cozied up by a fire or in front of your latest binge-worthy holiday movies.
2) Slow Cooker Red Wine Hot Chocolate
It’s slow cooker season! The best part about this slow cooker red wine hot chocolate recipe is that while it heats up you can be getting ready for your ugly sweater party!Ingredients
- 2 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 c. cocoa powder
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 6 c. whole milk
- 1 (750-ml.) bottle red wine
- Toasted marshmallows, for serving
- Chocolate shavings, for serving
Directions
- Combine the chocolate chips, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, milk, and red wine into the slower cooker.
- Put on high for 1 hour and 30 min. Wisk every 20 minutes.
- Serve in mugs and top with toasted marshmallows and chocolate shavings.
3) Hot Cocoa Bomb Red Wine Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate bombs are all the craze right now. But we’re adding an adult twist to these Gen Z creations. So, what is a hot chocolate bomb? It is a chocolate sphere filled with cocoa powder, marshmallows, and anything else you want to add. Everything is released from within the chocolate prizm when you drop it into your glass of warm milk. What’s left behind? An unbelievable hot chocolate.Ingredients
- Milk chocolate
- Mini marshmallows
- Hot chocolate mix - store bought or make your own!
- White chocolate (optional) you can drizzle this on top of your chocolate bombs.
- Red wine
- Whole Milk
Directions
- Pour your milk chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and put in the microwave until melted. (Leave some of the chocolate for later!)
- Take a tablespoon of melted chocolate and place it into a large circle silicone mold.
- Spread the chocolate evenly around the mold. Repeat until each circle is filled and place into the freezer.
- After the chocolate has hardened. Carefully remove the chocolate from their molds.
- In one half of the sphere add in your marshmallows, hot chocolate powder, and anything else you want to add in. (mint chocolate, peppermint, etc)
- Then take the other half of the sphere and some leftover melted chocolate and “glue” the two halves together with the chocolate. At this time you can let it sit or place it back into the freezer.
- While the chocolate is in the freezer you can start to prepare the wine part of your hot chocolate. Add your milk into a pot and turn the heat on medium-high.
- Once the milk has started to boil remove it from the heat and stir in your red wine.
- Carefully pour some of the mixture into a mug and plop your hot chocolate bomb into the warm mixture!
- Enjoy!
In Vino Finito
Hot chocolate is great, but red wine hot chocolate is a total game changer! Share your hot chocolate red wine creations with us at news@brightcellars.com.
Tags:
Wine Cocktails
