Booze and a Book:
Anna Karenina meets 'Special' Hot Chocolate
Natalie Kardum
(Warning: this can make you tipsy)
So we are in the thick of the holiday season, yet it’s cold and damp with typical Vancouver showers. In your hand you have a copy of Anna Karenina, and you are craving romance and tragedy, with a dash of full length dresses and gloves for good measure. Do you really want to venture out into the rain and ruin the knee high suede boots you just spent a small fortune on? Are you really courageous enough to brave the weather for your Starbucks fix? Well, Starbucks is not a licensed establishment, my friend, and instead of leaving your warm home, invite some of your chums over and wow them with this little concoction:
For one:
1 shot of Carolans Irish Cream
½ teaspoon of Oscars Mint Syrup
125 ml whole milk (no low fat here)
2 teaspoons chocolate syrup, of your choice
Whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings.
Heat milk on the stove, and remove from the element right before it boils. In a lovely glass mug (or anything fabulous or funky) add the chocolate and mint syrups, and fill the mug halfway with milk. Stir well. Add shot of Carolans, and then fill the mug with the remainder of the milk.
Garnish with whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings and your friends will be so very impressed.
Experiment—you might like more mint and less chocolate, our maybe you’ll want a double shot of Carolans.
Presentation is paramount! Please don’t put this in the silly Christmas mug your aunt gave you last year—it will be all the better if you take the time to make it look good.
I like using Carolans instead of the Baileys because Carolans is a little lighter in flavor, and reminds me of the Neopolitan ice cream my mother used to buy us when we were kids. And trust me, although Anna is a classic, you'll be wanting all the good old-fashioned comfort you can get.
So go, make yourself a drink, and grab your book. Although this is a great beverage to entertain with, I prefer to grab my favorite Russian novel, curl up on the couch, and get just a little bit tipsy…