Hot Chocolate and Whiskey? Yes, Please! Hot Cocoa & Kilbeggan Whiskey Recipe The 10-Minute Happy Hour

On one of my very first forays into journalism, I was tasked with interviewing some local Atlanta lifestyle celebrities about comfort foods and one interview in particular has stuck with me. This week it once again popped into my mind giving me the ideal drink idea for our 10- Minute Happy Hour.

At the time Lee May (see his website here) was a garden journalist for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. He was on my "get list" for this Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle Magazine assignment and he couldn't have been kinder to my leafy green approach. He asked me to lunch. Now mind you I am fully aware I am supposed to host my subject but this guy knew what he was doing and I was not going to differ.

My other interviews had gone something like this:

Q: What's your comfort food?

A: a) Beef Stew, b) Chocolate Chip Cookies, c) Meatloaf

Over the years I've learned to treat my interviews with much more finesse and get my answers in a less direct, college level journalistic-y manner. However, there is no doubting these three answers still hold weight in the comfort food category. But it was Lee's answer that almost knocked me off my off my barstool. His comfort food was, and I quote, "Sushi, because for me comfort does not come by the calendar year." He couldn't have been more correct. It's not just on cold nights we crave comfort. Everyone has their thing and no one food item is the cure all for those of us craving comfort.

Here in the Northeast, we've been battered by Hurricane Sandy, some are still without power, water or heat; and temps keep dropping. Mix in a presidential election and top with a Nor-easter for icing and for many of us, simple comforts seem like a dream. This week's happy hour calls for no bar couture, only a simple mug is needed.

No matter what your weather, a comforting cup of rich hot cocoa spiked with whiskey and dolloped with rich whipped cream, is all you'll need for a little happiness to finish off what for many has been a very long week.

Hot Cocoa & Kilbeggan Whiskey

serves 4 to 6

1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups milk
Pinch of salt
6 ounces Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

For the Whipped Cream:
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon or cocoa powder to garnish

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Do not boil! Whisk until smooth and creamy.

Remove from the heat and add the whiskey.

In a separate cool metal bowl whisk the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla, until stiff peaks form.

Divide the cocoa and whiskey mixture among 4 to 6 cups and top each with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Sprinkle cinnamon or cocoa on top if desired.

Maureen C. Petrosky writes what she knows, food, booze and parties. Author of The Wine Club, she appears regularly on The TODAY show to share her vices (and advice) with the world. For more info check out www.maureenpetrosky.com or follow her on Twitter @maureenpetrosky.

Related: The Best Hot Chocolate on Earth? Caf Angelina

(Images: Maureen Petrosky)

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Belgian Chocolate: Why So Darn Good?

I go through phases. I used to be a decidedly dark chocolate gal, but these days I flirt with the milk chocolate side of things as well. In the winter, a cup of hot chocolate is often dessert and in the summer, a few squares of a Ritter bar does the trick. It's certainly not news to you that some chocolate is much better than others, but why is this so? I decided to look at the ultimate favorite, Belgian chocolate, to see what sets it apart.

I actually visited the town of Bruges in Belgium a few years back on a day trip from Paris. The town is known for its lace and chocolate, and the day morphed into a chocolate-hopping tour through town. I didn't know why, but it was most certainly confirmed: this was some of the best chocolate I'd ever had. The reasons for this aren't necessarily cut and dried, but a few certainly stand out.

1. Small Shops & Handmade: So much of the chocolate sold today is mass produced in large factories, and so many of the small Belgian chocolates you'll find in candy shops and food boutiques are still very much made the old-fashioned way, in small dedicated shops, by hand. This makes a difference (and explains the cost, too).

2. A Different Process: In 1912 Jean Neuhaus created a new chocolate process using couverture (or chocolate disks or small chunks) that he'd melt down to form special bon bons containing a variety of fruits, nuts, and creams. Quite a few Belgian chocolatiers today are still known for these special chocolates. Many companies make chocolate this way, but they have to reheat their couverture after it's shipped while many Belgium shops either make their own or acquire it from small chocolate factories close by. So close by, in fact, that they often receive it still warm so they don't have to reheat it, leaving the base of the confections in better condition and retaining more of its pure chocolate taste.

3. A Cultural Tradition: There's something to be said about being surrounded by something in your city or town. In some Belgian towns, there are numerous chocolate shops and stories of which is older. In my experience, folks in town are very willing to talk with you about their traditions and processes. Families pass down recipes to one another; it's almost in the air. Quality is so often more inherent in something with a strong, ingrained tradition and a cultural background. I do think that's the case here.

What's your favorite chocolate? Does it come from Belgium? Or somewhere else?

Related: Luxury Belgian Chocolate: Chocolate Meets Wine

(Image: Dana Velden)

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