“We’re going to let some of that alcohol burn off,” said Patrick Byrne, after adding French merlot to a mixture of hot milk, dark chocolate, brown sugar, spices and more.
Come Valentine’s Day, guests at General Warren in Malvern will enjoy his spin on a trendy winter treat: red wine hot chocolate.
“It’s kind of like the Reese’s Peanut Butter commercial. It’s taking two things people like – chocolate and red wine – and putting them together,” explained Byrne, General Warren’s proprietor. “When you first look at it, you think, ‘Do these two foodstuffs go together?’ And they do. They actually complement each other really well.”
“Wine and hot chocolate – why not?” agreed Joanne Levengood of Manatawny Creek Winery, who actually started serving it years ago.
“You can call us the hip winery, a little bit of Brooklyn in Douglassville,” the winemaker joked, sharing recipes for Mexican chambourcin hot chocolate and raspberry hot chocolate made with Razz Bear Ease wine.
Trying this trend at home? Take her advice and skip the store-bought cocoa mix.
“That’s not hot chocolate,” Levengood stressed. “Hot chocolate is chocolate melted into milk – good chocolate, good dark chocolate.”
And if you’d rather dip than sip, head to Penns Woods Winery in Chadds Ford for “delectable” drunken chocolate fondue.
“I actually prefer the fondue because I can have a glass of wine with it. And I prefer straight-up wine,” said co-owner and marketing director Carley Razzi Mack.
“I love the fact that it goes well with the bigger, bolder red wines,” she described. “A port would go well with this… a nice, rich, sweet red… a moscato even.”
But in the fondue itself, Mack uses merlot.
Byrne also recommends a “lighter, fruitier wine” in hot chocolate. And for “a little bit if pop,” experiment with chipotle chili powder or an infusion of peppers steeped in wine.
“It’s different,” he said. “They’re going to love it.”
Red Wine Hot ChocolateServes 10 (3- to 4-ounce portions)
Ingredients5 ounces high-quality dark chocolate (coarse chopped)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, optional (This will add more chocolate flavor without the sweetness.)
2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
1 quart whole milk (option to use some half-half or even a touch of heavy cream to make drink richer and more like a dessert)
12 ounces (1/2 bottle) of a fruity red wine like merlot, Shiraz or red zinfandel (Do not use a heavy Cabernet or other wine high in tannin.)
2 dashes of ground cinnamon1 dash salt
Optional chipotle chili pepper powder (or pepper infusion, see below)
Whipped cream for garnishInstructions
Heat chocolate, cocoa powder, milk products, sugar and stir to mix until smooth and chocolate is fully melted. Add wine and allow to simmer 1 minute to “soften” alcohol content. Add additional flavoring to taste, pour into small glasses and top with whipped cream. Serve warm.
Notes: General Warren steeps dried guajillo, jalapeno or other peppers in some warm red wine for about 30 minutes to make an infusion to add to this drink.
Chipotle chili pepper powder should be added to your personal taste at end of recipe and before service. They give this drink a nice kick and unique finish to the palate.
Recipe courtesy of General Warren
Mexican Chambourcin Hot Chocolate
Ingredients1 cup chambourcin wine
2 cups milk4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup sugar3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder (optional)
Dash saltInstructionsHeat the milk in saucepan. Break the chocolate into bits and add, stirring until chocolate is melted. Add sugar and spices and stir until dissolved. Add wine, mix and serve with a cinnamon stick.
Recipe courtesy of Manatawny Creek Winery
Raspberry Hot ChocolateIngredients
1/2 cup raspberry wine2 cups milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate1/4 cup sugar
InstructionsHeat the milk in saucepan. Break the chocolate into bits and add, stirring until chocolate is melted. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the raspberry wine, mix and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Manatawny Creek Winery
Penns Woods Drunken Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients1 pound of semisweet Callebaut chocolate
1 tablespoon vanilla extract1 tablespoon butter
1 cup heavy cream 1 cup Penns Woods merlot
InstructionsAdd all contents to Crock-Pot and heat on low, continually stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is combined. The consistency should be silky and smooth. Serve in a heated fondue bowl. Keep warm with a candle. Serve with strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels and vanilla wafers. Pair with any of Penns Woods red wine!
Recipe courtesy of Penns Woods Winery
