Hot Barrel Cocoa: A Spiced Hot Chocolate for San Andrés Cigars
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From the Ready Room at Bravo Cigar Company. A zero-proof recipe for adults 21 and older who already enjoy cigars.
Spiced dark hot chocolate with a shot of espresso. Warm enough for a cold turret. Rich enough to keep up with a medium-full to full smoke. It's one of ten original pairing drinks in the Ready Room, built to sit alongside the Main Gun.
At a Glance
- Type: Zero-proof (non-alcoholic)
- Pairs with: Main Gun (San Andrés)
- Method: Hot
- Time: about 6 minutes
- Glass: Heavy mug
- Makes: 1 drink
Why Hot Barrel Cocoa Pairs With the Main Gun
In our tasting notes, the Main Gun has light pepper that builds, earthy and woody foundations, dark chocolate, lightly bitter cocoa and subtle leather, growing stronger toward a full-bodied final third.
Real dark chocolate lines up with the Main Gun's dark chocolate and bitter cocoa, cinnamon and a pinch of ancho chile meet the pepper that builds through the smoke, and espresso adds an earthy bottom note.
Ingredients
- 6 oz whole milk or oat milk
- 1 oz dark chocolate (70%), chopped
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 small pinch ancho chile powder
- 1 shot espresso (or decaf)
- Garnish: cinnamon stick
How to Make Hot Barrel Cocoa
- Warm the milk in a small pot over medium heat until steaming. Don't boil it.
- Whisk in the chocolate, sugar, cinnamon and chile until smooth.
- Pour into a mug and add the espresso.
Pairing Tips
- Use real chopped dark chocolate, not cocoa mix. The bitterness of a 70% bar is what lines up with the cigar's cocoa.
- Keep the chile to a small pinch. You want warmth that meets the cigar's pepper, not heat that covers it.
- Good for cold-weather smokes. Pour it into a preheated mug so it stays warm through the first half of the cigar.
Smoke It With the Main Gun
Mexican San Andrés wrapper with an undisclosed binder and filler blend. 6x56 Toro Gordo. Medium-full to full strength. Shop the Main Gun.
Mixing one tonight? Log the pairing in the free Bravo Cigar Journal. It opens with the cigar and the drink already filled in.
More From the Ready Room
- Want a spirited version? Try Sabot Round, the spirited pairing for the same cigar.
- See all ten recipes in the Ready Room.
- For coffee, whiskey, beer and food ideas, read the Bravo Cigar Pairing Guide.
Tobacco notice: Cigars contain nicotine and pose health risks even without inhalation. See the National Cancer Institute.
