Red Wine Hot Chocolate
What I Love About This Red Wine Hot Chocolate
I keep a bar of good chocolate and an open bottle of red in the house most of the year, so this is the dessert I reach for when guests linger and nobody wants to start baking.
- Two pantry staples and about ten minutes give you a finished dessert, so no oven and no planning required.
- I lean on the tannin and dark fruit that wine and dark chocolate already share, so the two taste like they belong in the same mug.
- Years of watching dairy break in professional kitchens taught me exactly where this drink goes wrong, so nothing here is guesswork.
- Sugar gets matched to your bottle rather than fixed at one amount, so a dry Cabernet and a fruity full bodied Zinfandel both land in the right place.
- Scaling this up for a party takes nothing more than multiplying, and it holds beautifully in a slow cooker on warm.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredient Notes
- Whole milk: Fat is what protects the milk proteins from the wine, and lower fat dairy curdles far more readily. Stick with whole milk here. A splash of heavy cream alongside it adds a little more protection if you want the insurance.
- Semi-sweet baking chocolate bar: A chopped bar melts more smoothly than chips do, because chips are made with less cocoa butter so they hold their shape in the oven. That extra cocoa butter earns its place here twice over. It melts cleanly into the milk, and it adds fat to the base, which is exactly what shields the milk from the wine. Anything from semi-sweet up to about 65% cacao works well against a fruity red.
- Red wine: Pick a bottle you would happily drink on its own. Chocolate will not hide a harsh wine, it will amplify it. See the section below for exactly which varieties to reach for.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: This deepens the chocolate flavor past what the bar alone delivers. Always sift it in, because cocoa clumps the second it touches hot liquid and those clumps never fully whisk out.
- Sugar: Start at the low end and taste at the finish. Wine acidity reads as sourness on the palate, so sugar is what pulls the whole drink back into balance.
- Cinnamon: A small amount bridges the wine and the chocolate and rounds off the sharp edge of the alcohol. It should read as warmth, not as spice.
- Pinch of salt (optional): Salt sharpens chocolate flavor the same way it does in my homemade hot chocolate. Add it only if you like a more pronounced cocoa note.
The Best Red Wine for Hot Chocolate
- Fruity and full bodied reds work best, because their dark berry notes echo what is already in the chocolate. Shiraz, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Pinot Noir all deliver that. A New World Shiraz is often my pick.
- Dry, high tannin bottles like a big Cabernet Sauvignon will work too, but they pull the drink bitter. Add another spoonful of sugar if you go that route.
- For a richer, more dessert-forward mug, swap in port. Use 1/4 cup port and 1/2 cup red wine in place of the 3/4 cup called for. Port brings its own sweetness, so cut the sugar back and taste before adding more.
- Skip anything labeled cooking wine. Those bottles carry added salt and taste flat, and in a drink this simple you will notice immediately. If you enjoy cooking with a good bottle, my red wine steak sauce and mulled wine both follow the same rule.
How to Keep Red Wine Hot Chocolate From Curdling
Milk sits at a pH near 6.7, and most red wine falls between 3.3 and 3.8. Casein, the main protein in milk, begins dropping out of suspension as the mixture heads toward pH 5.3. Wine brings alcohol too, which destabilizes those same proteins on its own. Heat then makes both effects worse. Three forces push the same direction here, which is why this drink breaks far more easily than plain hot chocolate.
Here is how I keep mine smooth.:
- Let fat do the protecting. Whole milk plus a chopped baking bar gives you most of what you need here, so use both. If your wine runs dry and high in acid, or you have curdled this drink before, stir in a splash of heavy cream with the milk for extra cushion.
- Melt the chocolate in fully before the wine goes near the pot. A chopped bar brings a good amount of cocoa butter with it, so once it melts, your base holds far more fat than the milk did on its own. Get it glossy and smooth first, then add the wine to that protected base.
- Never let it boil. Heat only until the milk steams and small bubbles form at the edge. Boiling weakens the proteins before the wine ever arrives.
- Lower the heat before the wine goes in. Drop to low first. Pouring cold acid into very hot milk is the single most common way this goes wrong.
- Add the wine slowly while whisking. A steady stream lets the mixture adjust gradually. Dumping it in all at once creates a pocket of concentrated acid and alcohol right where it hits.
- Take the pot off the heat once the wine is in. Warm it through for a minute at most. Long simmering after the wine goes in is what turns a smooth drink grainy.
- Pull the bottle out of the fridge before you start if you store your reds cold, since a smaller temperature gap means less shock to the milk.
How to Make Red Wine Hot Chocolate
- Chop the chocolate. Cut the bar into small, even pieces so everything melts at the same rate.
- Warm the milk. Heat it in a sauce pot over medium to medium-low until hot but not simmering. Look for steam and small bubbles at the edge only.
- Sift in the cocoa powder. Use a fine mesh strainer or a sugar shaker, then whisk it smooth before anything else goes in.
- Melt in the chocolate and sugar. Whisk slowly and steadily until the base turns glossy with no streaks left.
- Lower the heat, then add the wine. Reduce to low and pour the wine in gradually while whisking. This is the step that decides whether your drink stays smooth.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon, warm through for a minute, then pour into mugs.
Toppings and Ways to Serve Red Wine Hot Chocolate
Whipped cream is my default here, and it does real work. The fat softens the alcohol bite and keeps the first sip from hitting too sharp.
- Grate dark chocolate or shave curls right over the cream.
- Dust the top with cocoa powder or a little cinnamon.
- Float marshmallows if you are serving a mixed crowd of adults.
- Drop a few fresh raspberries on top to pick up the fruit notes in the wine.
Serve it after dinner in small mugs, since this drink is rich and a full cup is a lot. It goes beautifully alongside dark chocolate brownies or a slice of chocolate cheesecake if you want a proper dessert spread. For a party, set out a second pot of peppermint hot chocolate so the kids and non-drinkers have their own.
Storing and Reheating Red Wine Hot Chocolate
- Store: in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a lid or another airtight container for up to 2 days. Pour out what you need rather than dipping a spoon in.
- Reheat: slowly in a small pot over medium-low heat, just until hot. Whisk as it warms to bring the texture back together.
- Do not freeze. Dairy separates when it thaws, and the wine acid makes that worse.
- Expect some separation in the fridge. That is normal, and reheating while whisking usually smooths it right back out.
Red Wine Hot Chocolate Recipe FAQs
Like a deeper, fruitier hot chocolate with a warm finish. The wine reads as dark berry and a little tartness rather than as a glass of wine. Most skeptics I have served it to change their minds on the first sip.
Sometimes. Pull it off the heat immediately. Warm a few tablespoons of fresh cream in a clean pot, then whisk the broken mixture into it a little at a time. The added fat plus the gentler temperature often brings it back together. Once it has fully separated into curds and liquid, it is gone.
Barely. The wine only sits over low heat for a minute or two, so nearly all of the alcohol stays in. Treat this as a full cocktail and serve it to adults only.
Yes, and it is my preferred method for a crowd. Cook the milk, chocolate, cocoa, and sugar on low until smooth, then stir the wine in at the end and hold on the warm setting. Never let a slow cooker version reach a simmer after the wine goes in.
You can, though the result is thinner and much sweeter. Use the mix with milk rather than water, cut any added sugar completely, and add the wine off heat.
Use a non-alcoholic red wine and follow the recipe as written. Non-alcoholic wine is still acidic, so every curdling rule above applies.
More Warm Drink Recipes to Try
- Spiked Nutella Hot Chocolate
- Adult Hot Chocolate
- Slow Cooker Butterscotch Hot Chocolate
- Irish Coffee
- Hot Toddy
- Easy Christmas Punch
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Boozy Red Wine Hot Cocoa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate bar
- 3/4 cup fruity and sweet red wine Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or Merlot
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2-3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch salt OPTIONAL for flavor balance
- whipped cream for topping
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces.
- Heat the milk in a sauce pot over medium to medium-low heat until hot but not simmering.
- Add the chopped chocolate and sugar. Whisk slowly and continue whisking until the chocolate melts completely and the mixture is smooth.
- Use a fine strainer to sift in cocoa powder into the pot with milk to ensure that there are no clumps. Whisk until incorporated.
- Lower the heat to low. Pour the red wine in slowly while whisking constantly.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt if using. Warm through for 1 to 2 minutes without letting it simmer.
- Divide hot chocolate among 2 mugs and serve it with some whipped cream on top.
Notes
- Feel free to double the recipe for more people!
- Do not boil the milk at any point. Wine brings both acid and alcohol, and each one destabilizes milk proteins on its own. Heat makes both worse. Keep the pot at medium-low or lower throughout.
- For extra insurance: stir a splash of heavy cream in with the milk. Whole milk and a chopped baking bar usually carry enough fat on their own, but a dry, high acid wine benefits from the extra cream fat.
- Wine choice: fruity, full bodied reds work best. For a sweeter, dessert-style version, use 1/4 cup port plus 1/2 cup red wine and reduce the sugar.
- Sugar: start with 2 Tbsp and taste at the end. Drier wines need the full 3 Tbsp.
- Storing: store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat slowly over medium-low heat, whisking as it warms.
- For a crowd: multiply as needed and make it in a slow cooker. Build the chocolate base on low, stir the wine in at the end, and hold on warm.
Nutrition
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Categories:
Chocolate Recipes, Christmas Baking Recipes, Christmas Dinner Recipes, Cocktail Recipes, Drink Recipes, Wine,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I wasn’t sure about this but it was very good!