Jesse Rivest's Blog

I had a craving for chocolate tonight... a craving that soared beyond regular confectionaries sold at the local supermarket. Only something truly ancient would satisfy me tonight - I wanted to create a drink of near-Montezumian significance!

I strolled down to the supermarket and found:

• bars of 100% pure chocolate, no additives. The ingredients simply said "chocolate," which I interpreted as pure chocolate mass, perhaps with a bit of extra cocoa butter included, who knows? It was completely bitter and unsweetened, intended for baking use.
• pure, unpasteurized honey
• 1% MF milk

Montezuma would likely have had the following heated and frothed in his molinillo, and poured into his goblet: ground cacao beans, vanilla, a fermented maize concoction, honey, and spices (including chillis). I didn't go that far tonight... I didn't have any fermented maize concoction, or any sorts of alcoholic spirits. I also forgot to buy vanilla. And I didn't have have any spices. Next time I will get a bit more adventurous!

I made a double-boiler on the stove and melted a cube of chocolate in a splish-splash of milk. When the milk chocolate became homogoneous-looking, I added a couple tablespoons of honey and stirred it around. The result was a thick, rich, and sweet chocolate syrup that was rapidly transported, via spoonfuls, from bowl to mouth. It was great! It wasn't quite Lindt 70% Cocoa, and it wasn't quite ancient or Montezumian, but it was naturally sweetened and very fun to make!

Next time, perhaps some vanilla and spices. And a bit more fluid to elevate it from syrup status to drink status. At the liquor store I saw some vanilla flavored cognac, called Navan... And maybe I can get my blender out of storage to create froth!

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