Real Mexican hot chocolate

This hot chocolate is very intense, warming and slightly bitter. Very espresso like. Perfect for chocolate lovers. Vegan friendly.

Real Mexican Hot Chocolate

recipe adapted from Wahaca. Mexican food at home by Thomasina Miers 

Makes 4-6 espresso-sized cups

• 20 almonds, blanched
• 5mm cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
• 100g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
• 450ml water

Heat a small sauce pan and gently dry-roast almonds and cinnamon.

Put almonds, sugar and about a third of the chocolate into a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

In the same sauce pan gently dry-roast cinnamon stick. When fragrant, add chocolate, water and the almond-sugar paste. Heat over a low flame to melt the chocolate. Beat with a whisk to froth it up, or just stir to melt.

When the chocolate is almost boiling, pour it into espresso cups through a fine sieve.