Hot Baja Coffee
A big mug of half coffee, half hot chocolate, with coffee liqueur and chocolate liqueur stirred in and whipped cream on top. It is a grown-up hot chocolate more than a coffee, and the coffee is what stops it from being too sweet.
At a glance
- Coffee : hot chocolate
- 1:1
- Active time
- 5 min
- Total time
- 10 min
- Makes
- 1 mug
- Serve
- Hot, with cream
- Kit
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Note: Use a hot chocolate that is not too sweet. Both liqueurs add a lot of sugar.
Method
-
Make the hot chocolate
Heat 100 ml of milk with 15 g of chopped dark chocolate, whisking until smooth, or make a thick drinking chocolate to the packet's directions.
3 to 4 minutes -
Liqueurs in the mug
Pour the coffee liqueur and crème de cacao into a warmed mug.
-
Coffee and chocolate together
Pour in the hot coffee and the hot chocolate at the same time and stir.
-
Cream and chocolate
Top with whipped cream and grated chocolate. Serve at once.
Why this works
A drink built from hot chocolate, two liqueurs and whipped cream is in constant danger of tasting like sweet syrup. Coffee is the counterweight. Its bitterness, from roasted compounds and the breakdown of chlorogenic acids, balances sugar in the same way bitter chocolate balances a sweet dessert. Equal parts coffee and hot chocolate gives a mocha that is rich but still has an edge.
The liqueurs each do a specific job. Coffee liqueur adds a second coffee flavour along with sweetness and body. Crème de cacao adds a lighter, vanilla-tinged chocolate note that is different from the dark chocolate in the milk. Between them they make the drink taste layered rather than simply sweet.
The hot chocolate should be made with real chocolate and milk rather than a sweet powder. Melted chocolate brings cocoa butter, which gives a silky body and carries flavour on the tongue for longer. Powdered mixes are mostly sugar and make the whole thing cloying once the liqueurs go in.
Whipped cream on top, unsweetened or very lightly sweetened, adds a cold, fatty contrast and softens the alcohol. This is a heavy, after-dinner drink. One is plenty.
Variations
- With tequila: 15 ml of reposado tequila in place of the crème de cacao, for a Mexican twist.
- With cinnamon: a pinch in the hot chocolate, and a cinnamon stick to stir.
- Iced: cold coffee and cold chocolate milk shaken with the liqueurs over ice.
- Non-alcoholic: leave out both liqueurs and add a spoon of sugar and a drop of vanilla.
Contains about one and a half measures of liqueur. Not for children, drivers, or anyone avoiding alcohol.
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Questions
What is in a hot Baja coffee?
Equal parts hot coffee and hot chocolate, with coffee liqueur and crème de cacao, topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate.
Is hot Baja coffee very sweet?
It can be. Use hot chocolate made with real dark chocolate and milk rather than a sweet powder, and the coffee balances it.
Can I make it without crème de cacao?
Yes. Use 40 ml of coffee liqueur instead, or a splash of brandy for a drier drink.
What is the difference between hot Baja coffee and a Keoke coffee?
A Keoke coffee is coffee with brandy and two liqueurs. Hot Baja coffee is half hot chocolate, so it is richer and more like a spiked mocha.