Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cocktail, with mint infused liquor (or muddled mint), and homemade real hot chocolate, using milk of your choice. A festive fireside sip.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cocktail
There’s something about peppermint and chocolate that feels like the holidays wrapped up in a mug, comforting, nostalgic, and just a little bit sparkly.
This Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cocktail is my go-to December indulgence, rich, velvety cocoa infused with a cool mint whisper and a cheerful splash of holiday spirit. It’s the kind of drink you want to sip while watching the tree lights twinkle or sharing stories with friends around the fireplace.
And the best part? It’s just as delightful as a mocktail. Leave out the spirits and you still have a decadent, grown-up hot chocolate that feels every bit as cozy and festive. Whether you spike it or keep it family-friendly, this is the cup that brings everyone together, warms hands, and sets the perfect holiday mood.
Cold Weather Cocktails
Many of us are in a cold climate this time of year, and are after a hot chocolate drink.
How about one that has been spiked with peppermint vodka, perfectly stirred with a candy cane? That is exactly the cocktail we need to start off this brunch!
If where you live during this holiday season is warm, this drink served iced cold will be spectacular as well. So don’t think I left y’all hotties out!
Hot Cocktail For Cold Winter
What’s not to love about a little booze now and then! While I am most often a wine sipper, I do like the occasional special occasion sip that sets a mood for a celebration.
Warm weather drinks are often made to cool and refresh, therefore have ice. This spiked cold weather sip is going to be served hot, chocolaty and spiked with a little peppermint vodka.
Definitely, if you love this hot cocktail sip, you’re sure to welcome another homemade hot cocktail I call Golden Milk Turmeric Cocktail. How’s that for a yummy way to sip on that ole healthy turmeric!
Hot Chocolate Peppermint Vodka
When I entered the age of being served a cocktail, a peppermint drink was usually make with peppermint Schnapps.
I found the minty flavor refreshing, but also found the liquor had way too much sugar, almost syrupy.
When peppermint vodka hit the scene, I had to test it out. It had all the mint I wanted in the flavor, but without all the excess sugar.
Vodka, already flavored with peppermint, was going to be the perfect booze for my hot chocolate cocktail.
Likewise, for peppermint hot chocolate without the booze, simply crush mint leaves with simple syrup and you’ve got a great non-alcohol version!
REAL Hot Chocolate For A Festive Hot Cocktail
Come on… who doesn’t enjoy a little Real Homemade Hot Chocolate when it gets cold outside!
From the time I was a kid, hot chocolate was served to me and my sisters as a special occasion drink.
Hot chocolate when I was a kid, was always made with cocoa powder, a little sugar and milk.
It was simmered on top the stove until the milk was warm, the sugar dissolved and the cocoa blended. Yum.
The New Faces Of Milk
Milk, in my later years, took on a new face. Almond milk, coconut milk, even oat milk and an entirely new profile of milks.
Warm milk of your choice, with chocolate, is simply a lovely drink, wouldn’t you agree?
Milk In My Hot Chocolate?
No more tummy troubles now! Plant milk, especially Homemade Plant Milk, such as:
- Almond milk – has been around for a long time, before it was sold in grocery stores, and very much a Middle Eastern extraction from almonds.
- Oat milk is a drink made by processing oats in water. The flavor has that warm grain taste of oats.
- Walnut milk, or any nut made into a milk is just like almond milk, with a variety of flavors coming from the nuts being used.
- Sesame seed or hemp seed milk are both made by grinding the seeds and then steeping them in water to extract their oils and flavor.
Enjoying a cocktail made with plant milk, I must admit, tastes even better than dairy milk, and I do love dairy milk.
Homemade plant milk is easy to make, costs way less than store bought, doesn’t have the preservatives in it needed to keep it from going rancid on the shelf, even though refrigerated.
Peppermint In My Hot Chocolate Cocktail Or Mocktail
This holiday drink doesn’t have to be spiked and still have that delicious mint chocolate flavor to sip warm.
Fresh Peppermint is sold in most grocery stores year round. Dried peppermint can also be easily obtained in a mint tea bag, that has only dried mint leaves.
Peppermint grows so easily in a contained area of the yard or in a pot, something you just can’t kill once it has taken root.
Should you grow or buy fresh peppermint and want to dry it yourself to use it later, simply tie a bundle together and hang it upside-down. It will dry in about a week.
Mocktail Peppermint Hot Chocolate
The easy, most natural, way to flavor a mint hot chocolate drink is to simmer the dried mint leave, or fresh, in milk with cocoa, strain and pour.
A perfect drink for the kids or non-alcohol drinkers, to be able to enjoy the same fancy fireside sip as those with peppermint vodka.
Peppermint and Chocolate Make A Festive Candy Too!
There’s something delightfully childlike about making homemade chocolate peppermint bark.
Maybe it’s the way the crushed candy canes scatter across the kitchen counter like confetti. Maybe it’s the intoxicating swirl of dark chocolate and ribbons of red and white looping together like scarves tossed in winter wind.
Whatever the reason we love chocolate peppermint bark, we will surely love it in a warm sip as well.
Don’t Forget The Peppermint Candy Cane In Your Cocktail!
It’s the winter holiday season. What child or adult doesn’t love a candy cane, especially when the candy cane is peppermint.
A candy cane is simply sugar and water, boiled into a hard candy to be formed. Flavorings can be a variety of extracts.
We all love a little swirl stick in our hot chocolate so make sure to give each holiday cup of peppermint hot chocolate a candy cane to add to the festive vibe!
Ingredients Needed
- Cocoa – The heart of the drink, rich, deep, and comforting. Good cocoa powder gives the cocktail its velvety chocolate backbone, turning every sip into a warm hug.
- Sugar – A touch of sweetness that helps balance the cocoa’s natural bitterness. It melts into the mixture and creates that classic hot-chocolate smoothness we crave this time of year.
- Water – Just a splash is all you need to bloom the cocoa and sugar together. Warming them with water first creates a glossy, chocolatey base that sets the tone for the whole drink.
- Milk (your choice) – Whether dairy, oat, almond, soy, or cashew, the milk adds creaminess and body. Choose the one that feels most indulgent to you, this drink welcomes them all.
- Peppermint Vodka or Mint Leaves – Peppermint vodka adds a cool, bright lift that instantly transforms hot chocolate into a holiday cocktail. If you prefer a natural touch, fresh mint leaves gently steeped in the warm milk deliver that same refreshing note with a softer finish.
- Whipped Cream (dairy or non-dairy) – A fluffy, festive topper that melts beautifully into the cocoa. It adds luxury without effort, turning the drink into something that feels special.
- Chocolate Squares – A few pieces of real chocolate melted into the base give it depth and richness. They help create a silky texture that makes the drink feel decadent and café-worthy.
- Candy Cane – The final flourish, sweet, minty, and nostalgic. Use it for stirring, crushing over the top, or simply as a festive garnish. It’s a small detail that brings big holiday cheer.
Equipment Needed
- Saucepan – Your main tool for warming the cocoa, milk, and melted chocolate together. A medium saucepan gives everything enough room to bloom, simmer, and turn silky.
- Heat-Proof Serving Cups – Whether mugs, glass tumblers, or festive holiday cups, make sure they can handle the heat. These cups showcase the rich cocoa and hold up beautifully under a cloud of whipped cream.
- Whisk – Essential for smoothing the cocoa and sugar into the water and keeping the mixture lump-free. It helps create that velvety texture that makes this drink so comforting.
- Measuring Cup and Measuring Spoons – For getting the cocoa, sugar, milk, and peppermint flavors just right. A little precision ensures a perfectly balanced sip every time.
- Hand Mixer – Ideal for whipping up a light, fluffy topping, dairy or non-dairy. It gives the cocktail (or mocktail) that luscious café-style finish.
- Hand Grater or Vegetable Peeler – Perfect for shaving chocolate over the top of the whipped cream. Those delicate curls and flecks of chocolate add aroma, elegance, and a touch of holiday magic.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Festive Cocktail
Equipment
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Cacao
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Water
- 4 cups Milk of your choice homemade almond milk
- 2 shots Peppermint Vodka
- 1/4 cup Whipped cream – for topping dairy or non-dairy
- 1/2 oz Chocolate square – for topping
- 2 Candy Canes – for stirring
Instructions
- Place cocoa, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 2 minutes.
- Add milk and heat until hot, about 5-minutes. Do Not Boil.
- Pour into serving mugs. Stir in peppermint vodka. Top with whipped cream and a shave of chocolate.
- Serve hot with a candy cane and enjoy!
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.