The winter is nigh, and warming beverages are in order.

Cocoa recipe - for two cups

• 600 ml of milk
• half a glass of hot water
• 30 g of cocoa powder
• spices to taste (I use cinnamon and cloves)
• sugar to taste (2 teaspoons is a good start)

Put dry components in a pot, distribute evenly around the bottom and pour boiling water in. Thoroughly mix cocoa with water and make sure no dry powder is left. Then pour the milk in and put on the stove. Adjust the fire so that it takes about ten minutes to almost boil the milk. Take the pot off the stove just before boiling and pour to cups. Preheat them if you feel fancy.

Some remarks to this recipe are in order.

1) Try adding some pepper, red or black, to make the beverage more “warming”. Try nutmeg or any spice you have in the counter.
2) Hot water in the beginning is important: it wets hydrophobic cocoa powder and extracts plenty of teste from it and spices.
3) Try adding cornstarch - it doesn’t have flavour but makes the drink thicker.

Credit to Max Frei and the most entertaining cookbook I have ever read.