Italians Do It Better

by Carmelita Morales

I was just in Modena and Turin, Italy this weekend and am feeling a bit of a chocolate hangover. I went to a Sunday market in this tiny town near Modena and my god did I feel like I'd died and gone to heaven. It was just bread and cheese and chocolate everywhere! They had this huge 8 foot piece if bread cut in half, filled inside with nutella. You just ask for a piece and they slice one off for you. Then there was the REAL hot chocolate. I'm not talking powder shit, I mean the people are melting the dark chocolate pieces in front of you and topping it with chili flakes (it brings out the cocoa flavour and isn't really spicy at all).

But the best bit was the homemade chocolate liquor. One hot, teeny cup of this and you are both drunk and high (on chocolate). Nothing could be better on a cold day than this shizz. I bought 2 bottles from the guy making it fresh right in front of me. It's thick and pure melted chocolate mixed with vodka or white rum, then poured into an old wine bottle. If you are looking for cheap amazing x-mas presents I suggest you be the best gift-giver ever and make some at home to give away.

Homemade Rum/Vodka Chocolate Liquor Recipe

Ingredients:
500 grams sugar
1/2 liter milk
200 grams good dark chocolate, melted
1/2 liter white rum or vodka
10 grams vanilla sugar (i dont know what this is but im sure you can just use normal sugar and add vanilla extract)

Pour the sugar in half of the milk and boil til the sugar melts.

Mix melted dark chocolate in the other half of milk (without cooking) and pour it in boiling sweetened milk. Add vanilla sugar and white rum and remove from the heat.

Pour in an old wine bottle and let it stand like that for a few days for best results (shake it occasionally). Viola!