So I ran across and article written by Deborah Markus (BellaOnline’s “Chocolate Editor”… what a job!) on drinking chocolate when doing a search on Yahoo. So how does Drinking Chocolate vary from Hot Cocoa? Deborah explains that Hot Cocoa is and instant powder that produces a “sickly over-sweet” drink by adding either hot water or hot milk as required. But “drinking chocolate” is “thick, slow, and luscious, and it must be made from solid chocolate.”
Want a more technical explantion of the difference? Check out this tidbit from 101cookbooks.com: “Some are confused about the difference between hot cocoa and drinking chocolates. One of my Seattle-based readers kindly offered up this well articulated explanation for the difference between cocoa and drinking chocolates:”Cocoa is derived from chocolate liquor – the professional term for unsweetened baking chocolate. Cocoa powder is chocolate liquor that has been pressed to remove half to three-quarters of its fat and then pulverized. A hydraulic press, designed by the Dutchman C. J. Van Houten in the 19th century, removes fat while leaving solids behind. Cocoa has a strong chocolate flavor and is easy to incorporate into other ingredients.” Cocoa will give you difference texture, taste, and mouth feel.” Check out the whole article entitled Drinkable Chocolate List. The writer, Heidi Swanson rates 18 drinkable chocolate brands, and votes Couverture the best overall. (“No doubt about it.” she says.)
Markus ran across an old recipe in an old cookbook: “Break a one-ounce square of unsweetened chocolate in half. Put half of it away; break up the other half with a butter knife and put the fragments into a small, heavy-bottomed pot (or the top of a double boiler, if you’re nervous). Add two tablespoons hot water; cook and stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture is smooth.
Stir in a generous tablespoon of sugar; continue cooking until this is completely dissolved. Lower the heat, then slowly add one measuring cup of hot milk, stirring constantly. When this is smooth, add a quarter to a half teaspoon of real vanilla. Let this cook about five minutes over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently.”
Here’s another recipe from Drinksmixer.com that uses a vanilla bean and cinnamon in cream: Drinking Chocolate First cold day that comes along, I’ll report what I think. Yum!
There is a big difference between hot chocolate and drinking chocolate. You can find a complete drinking chocolate information sheet and drinking chocolate recipes at http://www.drinkingchocolates.com. The main difference is using the cacoa part of the bean vs. the cocoa powder. You are getting the good part including the cocoa butter, which you can really tell because when heated repeatedly, you’ll see the cocoa butter rise to the top. Anyways, if served right, there is an Italian Style Drinking Chocolate at drinkingchocolates.com that is delicious – better than any cocoa mix I’ve ever had at least.