Hot 'n' Spikey Texican Tailgate Cocoa

By Stephen Phillips

When the temperature drops below 30 degrees, keep your tailgaters warm with this hot drink from longtime Lone Star State tailgater Sharon Hyland. Remember, making the hot chocolate from scratch is the key. Sure, you can use the powdered kind, but, hey, making it yourself is half the fun. Serves two.

Ingredients:

4 oz. of light rum, silver tequila or Kahlua
1 cup whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
6 tsp. of sugar
1 oz. semisweet chocolate chopped into small pieces
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate chopped into small pieces
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cinnamon sticks

Preparation:

I suggest that you prepare this the morning of the event, storing and then serving it out of an insulated container at the tailgate site.

The morning before leaving for the event:

Mix milk, half-and-half, sugar, finely chopped chocolate and brown sugar all together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Do not bring to a boil, but allow chocolate and sugar to melt and dissolve until they get hot. Reduce heat. Place half of this mixture into a blender and mix to a frothy consistency. Pour this back into your pan and stir in the vanilla extract.

At the tailgate party site:

Fill your partygoers' cups with 2 ounces of rum, tequila or Kahlua. Pour in hot chocolate from thermos or jug. Stir with a cinnamon stick.

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