The Inn at the Crossroads
  • Home
  • About
    • FAQ
    • From Readers
    • About the Author
    • Interviews and Articles
  • Latest Posts
  • Game of Thrones
    • Game of Thrones Recipes, by region
    • Game of Thrones Recipes, by meal
    • The Official Game of Thrones Cookbook
  • Cookbooks!
    • The Official Game of Thrones Cookbook
    • World of Warcraft Cookbook
    • Hearthstone Cookbook
    • Elder Scrolls Cookbook
    • Firefly Cookbook
    • Overwatch Cookbook
    • Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Cookbook
    • WoW: New Flavors of Azeroth
    • Star Trek Cookbook
    • Errata
  • Other Recipes
    • Other Fictional Foods
    • Other Historical Foods
    • Everything Else!
  • Contact
    • Sign Up for News!

Historical Hot Chocolate, 1631

Historical Hot Chocolate, from 1631, with anise, vanilla, chili, and more!

Thoughts:

This is the most decadent hot cocoa I have ever encountered.

Made thick and creamy by the emulsified ground nuts, it pours beautifully. There is a hint of robust smoky spiciness lent by the chipotle that compliments the chocolate, giving it a warm mouth feel no matter what temperature you serve it. The spice lingers on the back of the tongue, allowing the other flavors a turn. The anise is subtle, but with a distinct small bite, and traces of the cinnamon are there also. The annato doesn’t have much flavor, but adds a wonderful rich depth of color. 

This recipe was probably intended to be made with water, and possibly even served cold. I like using milk as the base, as it increases the creaminess of the drink. When it’s cold the oils from the nuts rise to the top in a very thin sheen. 

*Fun Fact: drinking chocolate did not violate the terms of fasting, as dictated by the Catholic Church. Win!* 


Recipe for Historical Hot Chocolate

“Take one hundred cocoa beans, two chillies, a handful of anise seed and two of vanilla (two pulverized Alexandria roses can be substituted), two drams of cinnamon, one dozen almonds and the same amount of hazelnuts, half a pound of white sugar and enough annatto to give some color. And there you have the king of chocolates.” -Curioso tratado de la naturaleza y calidad del chocolate (A Curious Treatise of the Nature and Quality of Chocolate), 1631

Cook’s Notes: Although nuts ground in a food processor can work in a pinch, I recommend using pre-ground flour, which will be a finer consistency that one can usually get at home. If you’d like it spicier, feel free to tweak the chili types/proportions to taste!

Ingredients:

  •  1/4 cup ground cocoa, unsweetened
  •  1 dried chili pepper (chipotle), ground or chopped fine
  • 1 anise star
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, or 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  •  2 tsp. almond flour
  •  1 tsp.  hazelnut flour
  •  2 Tbs. sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground annato for color    
  • pinch of cayenne (optional)
  • 2 cups milk

Combine all the ingredients with the milk in a medium saucepan. Heat gently for around 5 minutes, but do not bring to a boil. Strain into cups, and enjoy!

Hot chocolate ingredients

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Related

« Honey Drops – from The Inheritance
Grisel’s Finger Foods »

3 Responses

  1. charlotte says
    January 7, 2013 at 8:11 pm

    Wow.

    Reply
  2. kathrynmrose says
    February 6, 2013 at 12:14 am

    Your blog is so cute and I love hot chocolate! I am excited to follow you.

    Reply
    • Needs Mead says
      February 6, 2013 at 9:36 am

      Thanks, and welcome to the adventure! :)

      Reply

Leave a comment

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made something?`

If you’ve made a recipe from the blog, be sure to tag your tasty creations with #GameofFood!

The Official GoT Cookbook!

Browse Old Posts by month

Want to help out? Check out our Amazon Wishlist!

Affiliate Disclaimer

Please bear in mind that some of the links on this website are affiliate links, meaning that if you go through them to make a purchase I may earn a small commission. I only include links to my own books, and products I know and use.

CyberChimps WordPress Themes

All content copyright 2016