Creamy, dreamy
Hot chocolate is a sweet way to ward off winter’s chill
Hot chocolate is a sweet way to ward off winter chill.
Kristine M. Kierzek
When it comes to warding off winter’s chill, it doesn’t get much better than a steaming cup of hot chocolate or cocoa. ❚ Many people use the terms hot cocoa and hot chocolate interchangeably — and they’re both delicious — but there is a difference. ❚ For Richard Koennigs, owner of Red Elephant Chocolate Cafe, 333 N. Broadway, the difference is implicit in the name. If you say hot chocolate, the main ingredient should be actual chocolate, which also tends to make for a thicker drink. ❚ “The difference is, we grind our premium chocolate,” Koennigs said. “The same dark chocolate we make into our chocolates at the store, that is the basis for our hot chocolate. ❚ “Most hot chocolate isn’t hot chocolate at all,” he continued, “it is a colored cocoa mixture or a syrup. Ours is real chocolate, ground up, and we use a chocolate milk, generally from Sassy Cow. People like their hot chocolate with some cream base, whether milk or cream. In our case, it is chocolate milk.”
Indulging in the same idea, Kilwins Milwaukee at Bayshore Mall also uses its house chocolate for its hot chocolate drinks, which are sold there by the cup. Customers can also purchase a bag of Kilwins Heritage Chocolate Shred to make their own custom cup at home.
The story behind cocoa
Cocoa powder, on the other hand, results from the grinding process once beans are fermented, dried and roasted.
“We take the beans to our factory in Ghana,” said Steven Wallace, who founded Milwaukee-based Omanhene Chocolate Co. “They are kibbled, which is just chopped up, then subjected to heat and pressure — they call it the grinding. Those roasted ‘kibbled’ cocoa beans liquefy, and two liquids pour out into the vessel.
“In the bottom of the vessel is cocoa liqueur, nonalcoholic. It is very dark, viscous, beautiful color, beautiful aroma, these biochemicals that give you the addictive, euphoric quality of the cocoa.
“What rises to the top is a clear straw-colored liquid called cocoa butter. That’s the fat, essentially odorless, flavorless, used in a lot of cosmetics.
“When you pull the pistons apart, what is left, it looks like little chunks of rock because you’ve squished the nibs ’til almost all the stuff is out. That’s called the cocoa cake. You pulverize that, and that’s how you get cocoa powder.”
Wallace started Omanhene after spending time in Ghana, selling the first bean-to-bar chocolate in 1994. He chooses not to make Dutch-process, or alkalized, cocoa.
According to Wallace, people thought the alkalization process would reduce the bitterness and enable the cocoa to mix into liquid better. However, “if you’re using hot milk or hot water and you’re agitating, it really is not a problem.”
“It (alkalizing) also had the curious effect of making (the cocoa) look darker, which would fool your eye into thinking it was richer and better,” he added.
Locally, Anodyne Coffee Roasting is one of the specialty coffee retailers that use Omanhene cocoa in their hot chocolate.
Choose your milk
“There are some people that make it specifically with water and simple syrup, which is warm water and sugar, it is pretty thick. Other specialty coffee retailers do it with milk and sugar, agitated in a steaming pitcher.”
There is no wrong way to make it, according to Julie Waterman, owner of Indulgence Chocolatiers. “It is your taste and what you are happy with. I’ve made it at home with almond milk or soy milk, and I’ve made it for my kids with water.”
Indulgence Chocolatiers’ cocoa mixes are sold in her shops in Shorewood, Wauwatosa and the Third Ward, and they are used at several local coffee shops, including Valentine Coffee.
“Our (packaged) cocoa flavors are based off our three bestselling chocolate bars: vanilla bean malt, Mayan spice, and dark chocolate sea salt. Cocoa (the drink) is a natural fit with a chocolate company,” she added.
“There’s something very nostalgic about it. Being outside and appreciating the cold, then coming in and enjoying that cup of hot chocolate makes you think about happy moments in your childhood.”
Easy to prepare whether you choose chopped or shredded chocolate or cocoa, it’s worth the few extra steps to make at home.
Keep in mind that, while all kinds of milk — whole or skim, coconut or almond, even cream — can be used, your choice will influence texture, mouth feel and flavor.
For a classic treat, try whole milk, suggests Waterman. “It makes it nice and rich and creamy, a more European-style hot chocolate.”
Wallace, of Omanhene, agreed.
“Skim milk is not going to give you the mouth feel that whole milk will,” he said, noting that his favorite recipe uses a mix of whole milk and whipping cream or half-and-half. “That’s really indulgent.”
Extra-special marshmallows
Locally, a few favorite spots selling their own blends of cocoa mix up the ante with homemade marshmallows, too. If you’re going to indulge in a perfect cup, then these handmade variations are worth seeking out.
In Greendale, Karen Herrera of Sugar and Flour Bakery and Cafe, 5721 Broad St., handcrafts fluffy marshmallows that she sells by the bag. Almost a dessert by themselves, they can be eaten on their own or as a crave-worthy topping to her hot cocoa mix.
At Greige Patisserie, 408 W. Florida St., gorgeous red swirls make handmade marshmallows an enticing topping to the first-year shop’s new hot cocoa mix. Four marshmallows are included with every bag of hot cocoa. Additionally, Indulgence Chocolatiers makes vanilla bean marshmallows.
If marshmallows aren’t your thing, consider taking it to the next level with added flavor, even a dash of real vanilla extract added while you’re stirring the milk can bring out a bit of nuance.
Valentine Coffee Roasters’ baristas make flavored syrups for use in-house with coffee drinks at its locations (7918 S. 6th St. in Oak Creek and 5918 W. Vliet St.), and any of those can be added to hot chocolate for a flavor bump.
“Any syrups we have made can be added, so maybe it will be a lavender, vanilla or ginger or something seasonal. Those ancillary syrups are always changing,” said co-owner Joe Gilsdorf.
Spike it!
Meanwhile in Kohler, hot chocolate is always
available at the Craverie Chocolatier Café (in the Shops at Woodlake Kohler).
You can also get a spiked option, the Brandy Hot Chocolate made with Kohler brand mint chocolate brandy or dark chocolate brandy, inspired by Herb Kohler’s love of brandy and good chocolate. It’s easy enough to indulge in this one at home, too, as Craverie sells both its house cocoa mix and the Kohler brandies.
If you still want to learn more, consider a class. Gather at least five friends and you can create a customized class at Allo Chocolate, 234 W. Main St., Waukesha, to delve into the history of hot chocolate and hot cocoa. To schedule, call (262) 544-8030.