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Remember what it was like drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows by the fireplace as a kid? I still do that. Granted, boozy-style.

A few years ago I started this wonderful personal tradition of dropping some Bailey’s Irish Cream into my hot chocolate. It made for a great festive treat during holiday get-togethers with the family, because any liquor harder than that and it would turn into a very ratchet Christmas all too quickly. But I recently discovered something even better.

Rumchata hot cocoa.

I had to figure out some sort of drink to entertain my family with a little bit of a boozy spin, but not too much as my parents are lightweights and most of my sisters don’t like drinking in excess. On the other hand, my brother-in-laws find social gatherings boring without any alcohol, so I needed to make everyone happy with one universal drink.

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I used to make this simple and affordable recipe with Bailey’s, but since I like my drinks stronger, adding more Bailey’s into the mix definitely alters the taste. Using Rumchata in its place helps masks the alcohol, as it is creamier and sweeter than Bailey’s.

Regarding affordability: A regular 750ml bottle of Rumchata sells for $26.99 at Bevmo ($19.99 with ClubBev) and $19.99 at Walmart. 750ml averages out to roughly 25 shots per bottle, so you could get 25 single-shot servings from this bottle, or about 12 double-shot servings.

I was able to snag a gift set at Walmart for $19.97 that came with this cute little mug. So duh, if you get the mug, you pretty much have to make spiked hot cocoa in it. That’s just a given.

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The rest of the ingredients can be purchased for $3 or less at the local grocery store: I got a big tin of hot cocoa mix from Walmart’s generic brand Great Value for $2.58. I also got a huge bottle of Great Value chocolate syrup for $3.12 just to have for ice cream toppings and, you know, other fat kid cravings in general.

I was lucky to have some whipped cream already on hand, and I’m pretty sure most households already have a gallon of milk. With some of these ingredients already on-hand, you could probably entertain a gathering of friends or family for less than about $30 with this single drink. Dress it up and it doesn’t seem cheesy or cheap whatsoever, and it’s a festive drink perfect for the holidays. Recipe below.

Adult Hot Cocoa Recipe (1 Serving)

• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup hot cocoa mix
• 2 shots Rumchata
• Whipped cream, to garnish
• Chocolate sauce, to garnish

There really isn’t any particular recipe for a large batch, but if you’d like to make this for a party, you could simply make the hot cocoa in a large pot and then serve individually, and then pour 1 or 2 shots into each cup, mixing gently and then garnishing with whipped cream and a chocolate sauce drizzle. For photography’s sake, I sprinkled a little bit of cocoa powder over the top (you could also use chocolate shavings if you want that “wow” factor), but it’s completely optional. You could even swap out the cocoa powder for a dash of cinnamon to give it more of a horchata taste.

I measured out the shots using this double jigger I got in this cocktail shaker set. I really do love this stainless steel cocktail kit for both the value and quality. Honestly, if you want to be practical, you could always just use a regular shot glass or pour by guesstimation. But if you want to be fancy and be that person who mixes drinks for all the parties, I definitely suggest to invest in cocktail supplies. I actually got a bunch of cocktail supplies for less than $3 each through Elite Deal Club.

Milk Substitutes

If you want to cut the dairy content, coconut milk would probably be a great substitute for regular milk, as it’s sweeter than soy milk. I’m not sure how vegans could make this drink since Rumchata is a cream-based liqueur.

I’ve also seen many crockpot recipes featuring condensed milk in place of regular milk, but I’m not sure if the heaviness of the condensed milk and the alcohol would get along in one’s stomach. If you’ve got an iron stomach, go for it! Just don’t make everyone else suffer.

Try the recipe out and leave me a comment on how you liked it! Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter below!

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