The Mocha Coffee Alternative That's Even Creamier And Richer

Coffee and chocolate are a match for the ages, whether you're pairing a frothy cappuccino with a molten lava cake or a dark roast with dark chocolate. Yet while coffee and chocolate work well as a separate drink with dessert, they work equally well in tandem as one hot beverage. In fact, one drink in particular puts an Italian spin on the coffee and chocolate hybrid. Enter: Milan's Barbajada, a creamier and more complex version of a mocha.

Northern Italy's Barbajada traditionally combines some form of chocolate — whether cocoa powder or chopped pieces of chocolate – with milk or cream, as well as espresso or coffee. If using cocoa powder, you can also add sugar for added sweetness. The drink then finishes with a generous topping of whipped cream in the style of your favorite wintertime hot cocoa. 

Given these ingredients, the beverage falls somewhere between a hot chocolate and a mocha. Unlike the latter, however, a Barbajada comes much creamier, due to its thicker consistency contingent on a base of milk and chocolate, rather than just coffee. In fact, most hot chocolates in Italy — like those in Spain — are so thick that they're best enjoyed with a spoon. While you can certainly sip Barbajada, keeping a spoon handy is therefore a good idea. As for the ratios of your ingredients? While there's some variation, it's generally a good idea to keep things even, so your coffee and chocolate can equally shine. 

Why choose between a hot chocolate and a hot coffee when you can have them at the same time? Even if you're not in Milan, a barbajada is easy to throw together. At its simplest form, the Milanese drink calls for equal parts chocolate, cream or milk, and coffee. If you don't want to choose between cream and milk, you can even use a combination of both for a perfectly thick and rich treat. If you're using cocoa powder in lieu of chocolate, just make sure whisk it with sugar to combat any bitterness.

Like anything, however, those ratios are not set in stone. Some recipes call for more milk than coffee, and more coffee than cocoa. You can, of course, skew the amounts to your personal preference, depending on if you want your drink to taste more of chocolate, coffee, or cream. 

And, regardless of the exact amounts, your technique will remain relatively the same, as well as relatively simple. To make a Barbajada, heat all of your ingredients on the stove, and whisk them as they warm and blend together. If you'd rather forgo the heat altogether, you can, alternatively, enjoy Barbajada as an iced beverage. That way, it may prove not only comforting, but also refreshing.