Cinco de Mayo - 2 Mexican Drinks to Enjoy
Mexican Hot Chocolate
If you have been following us for a while, you may have noticed that we gravitate towards the Mexicana lattes when we visit coffee shops. These mocha heavy drinks carry strong cinnamon and spice flavors that make our taste buds dance.
They are based on Mexican Hot Chocolate. Chocolate de mesa (table chocolate) is warmed and dissolved in milk and traditionally stirred to a frothy consistency with a molinillo. I am not an expert with a molinillo yet, but we recently got one and it adds an airier texture to our hot chocolate that we love!
If you want to make this at home, you’re in luck! Most stores carry brands like Abuelita’s and if you live here in San Antonio, you will have other varieties of chocolate to use as well. Even without a molinillo or an electric frother you can heat and break up the chocolate until it dissolves and the milk boils (or simmers lightly - read the package for directions specific to that chocolate).
Most of the Mexican Hot Chocolate varieties we have tried are similar, with varying degrees of cinnamon spice, maltiness, and levels of nutty flavors. When added to milk, it is creamy and pleasantly sweet, though more earthy and homey than a Nestle hot chocolate might be. Mexican Hot Chocolate is grounded in rich cacao flavor rather than cloaked by overbearing sugar.
Add some coffee!
We turned the Mexican Hot Chocolate into an at-home latte by brewing 1 cup of hot chocolate (8 oz) and adding it to 4 oz of coffee brewed in a Moka pot. We used a darker roast coffee and noticed a lot of the smoky depths shining through the sweetness of the hot chocolate. It was a great contrast and one we will continue to make often for the earthy chocolate and smoke flavors.
At-Home Horchata Latte
We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make an At-Home Horchata Latte! Horchata is a super popular drink here in San Antonio and one that we are especially particular about, seeking the perfect balance of cinnamon spice and milky sweetness. To make a Horchata Latte at home, we used our Moka Pot for the espresso (you can use regular coffee too, but that’ll be a café au lait) and Kern’s Horchata milk from HEB.
For 2 Lattes:
Start by grinding your beans to fill the hopper of the Moka pot. Ours holds approximately 30 grams. Do not compress! Leave it loose and just tap the side to help it level out. Add water to just below the water valve line - approximately 8 fl.oz.
Assemble and set to brew, making sure the release valve is positioned away from you and the handle is not at risk of melting.
In a separate pot, weigh out 8-16 oz of Horchata milk. We used 4 oz of milk for each of our lattes because we are fans of the strong coffee flavors and it turned out really delicious. If you like more sweetness in your home latte, up the milk to balance with the espresso. Warm the milk gradually until steaming, but not boiling.
Once the espresso is ready, pour it into a mug and then use a frother to aerate the milk. Once it’s hot and as frothy as you want it, divide between the two mugs. (Be sure to spoon some of that foam on top!)
Enjoy!
We used Kern’s Horchata milk, and loved the strong cinnamon and spice flavors that shined through. It is sweet, carries the essential cinnamon spice, and makes a damn good latte.
If you aren’t in the mood for something sweet this Cinco de Mayo, simply grab a bag of Chiapas coffee. These beans are from the Chiapas region of Mexico and are deeply rich, smoky, and delicious as a black coffee.
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Salud!
Mrs. Brew