Today’s illustration is one of many advertisements issued by the Walter Baker company in the period from the 1890s well into the mid-twentieth century. The company’s logo, the Baker chocolate lady, can be seen on the tavern’s sign.
Winter weather demands hot chocolate or cocoa.
Hot chocolate is just that – melted chocolate. There is a difference between cocoa and hot chocolate. Cocoa is made from cocoa powder, and hot chocolate is made from shaved chocolate bars. Usually, hot chocolate has a richer taste, because chocolate bars have more cocoa butter than cocoa powders.
To make true hot chocolate, you can buy hot chocolate mixes made of tiny chocolate shavings, or you can buy fine shaved chocolate from baking suppliers. You could shave your own from your favorite chocolate bars. You can shave chocolate bars, choosing from dark, milk, white or flavored chocolate. You can combine any of these in your own proportions.
Whether you are making hot chocolate or cocoa, slowly combine your chocolate with a small amount of milk or cream until smooth. Then fill the cup with hot water. You can use re-constituted powdered milk, almond milk, soy milk or rice milk. Sometimes only a couple of tablespoons will do. If you start with unsweetened cocoa powder or chocolate shavings, you will need to add sugar or maple syrup, honey or agave nectar. Sweeten to your taste – some recipes call for as much as two tablespoons of sugar for each tablespoon of unsweetened chocolate.
The recipe that works for you is the right one.