What Makes Mexican Hot Chocolate Special?

Hot chocolate is enough to make even the biggest summer fan anticipate winter. It's hard to imagine that cozy beverage experience getting better, but it indeed can with an even tastier variety, and that's where Mexican hot chocolate comes in. Mexican hot chocolate stands apart from hot cocoa because of what it's made from, the resulting texture, and a kick of spiciness.

The reason we call what we buy on supermarket shelves here in the United States hot cocoa is because it's made from, well, cocoa. Mexican hot chocolate, meanwhile, is traditionally made from cacao, formed into a specific Mexican chocolate. 

Chocolate in general comes from the seeds of cacao fruit. To get chocolate, those seeds are prepared in a multi-step process including fermentation, drying, roasting, crushing into cacao nibs, and, finally, a stage where the nibs are ground into what's called liquor (there's no alcohol in it). Those crushed nibs can also be made into a paste and formed into discs of Mexican chocolate with sugar, cinnamon, and other spices. Cocoa powder, meanwhile, comes from when the cacao liquor is pressed to remove its fatty cocoa butter. It's sweeter than the cacao paste-based Mexican chocolate, which is more bitter-balanced, and American store-bought cocoa powder tends to be processed. Melting Mexican chocolate gives its resulting drink a thick, velvety consistency, while cocoa-powder drinks are weaker in flavor and thinner. For a finishing, distinguishing touch, cinnamon and chili or cayenne pepper give Mexican hot chocolate complexity and a different kind of heat.

Mexico has a special connection to this cozy drink — it's simply called "chocolate" there — thanks to a very long history. The Mayans and Aztecs drank hot chocolate for thousands of years. "Chocolate" comes from the word "xocolatl," or "bitter water" in an ancient Aztec language. Throughout the centuries, the beverage has remained simple, showcasing the quality of the cacao. In addition to that cacao, there's just hot water, milk, or both; plus sometimes masa harina or corn flour; and those aforementioned spices.

To make Mexican hot chocolate, you'll be melting discs of Mexican chocolate. Heat it with sugar, milk, and a cinnamon stick until it's dissolved; add a mixture of water and masa harina along with vanilla, salt, and chili powder if you're using it, and cook some more. For an elevated Mexican hot chocolate, use a molinillo, a traditional carved wooden tool. The texture and design work to really whisk the mixture and whip air into it, which gives you a dreamy frothiness. To complete the experience, make classic churros — their cinnamon-spiced, crunchy, chewy, airy taste only gets better when dipped in Mexican hot chocolate.