Easy, Creamy, Cold Chocolate Drink

Looking for a robust and aromatic drink to carry you over the rest of the day? Look no further. This creamy and cold chocolate drink is what you need to start the day on the right foot. Easy to make, refreshing, and with flavorful spices, it's the perfect summer drink.

Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Video • Preparation

Creamy and cold cocoa drink.

Why I ❤️ it

We are used to hot chocolate drinks, and, along with coffee, milk chocolate drinks are the most popular morning drinks. But what if you don't want something hot to start your summer days? I got something to please your taste buds, one of my favorite drink recipes.

If you've ever tried and liked spiced Indian tea, you too will love the creaminess and gently-spiced flavors of this cacao morning drink. Since I have mostly quit my morning hot drinks these days (minus the coffee, of course), I am always looking for that drink that punctuates my mornings, and this silky chocolate drink is quite the exclamation mark.

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Utensils and tools

• Medium saucepan
• Grater / zester

Ingredients

• 6 cups of hot water, divided
• 4 cups of whole milk
• 3 star anise
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 6 cloves
• A pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar (white, granulated), or to taste
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence (extract)
• 2 cups of crushed ice cubes

Video

Preparation

Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

Step 1: Boil milk and spices

In a saucepan, combine half the hot water, milk, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and simmer over low flame until the liquid has reduced by half. Be careful it does not over-boil.

Once reduced, sieve and discard solids.

Step 2: Dissolve cocoa powder

In the meantime, dissolve the cacao powder in the remaining hot water. Add sugar to taste to the hot chocolate mix and stir to dissolve it.

Step 3: Cool liquids

Let the hot milk mixture and cocoa powder mixture cool to room temperature.

Add vanilla extract to the milk.

Step 4: Combine and serve

Once everything has cooled, pour the same amount of cocoa water into each of the 4 short glasses.

Add ice to the glasses and pour equal amounts of milk into each.

Variations

You can turn this into a perfect mid-afternoon cocoa smoothie by stirring in two scoops of vanilla ice cream to each serving instead of ice. Top this chocolate milkshake with some chocolate shavings if you have any, or drizzle with caramel or dark chocolate syrup.

Another fantastic combination is to garnish with whipped cream for an extra rich and velvety drink.

You can use maple syrup, agave syrup, or your preferred sweetener or sugar substitute if you prefer to consume less sugar. I leave the drink's sweetness to you.

If you're looking for a dairy-free, vegan iced chocolate beverage, you can substitute milk for your preferred plant-based milk: almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, or oat milk. Be mindful that each of these will impart a different flavor to this cold drink.

Nutritional information

Calories: 138kcal - Carbohydrates: 12g - Protein: 3gFat: 10g - Saturated Fat: 6g - Cholesterol: 30mg - Sodium: 34mg - Potassium: 167mg - Fiber: 1g - Sugar: 6g - Vitamin A: 285IU - Vitamin C: 0.7mg - Calcium: 93mg - Iron: 0.7mg

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