From the Vault: Chef Scott Campbell’s Bourbon Hot Chocolate

Chocolate has a rich history that begins in Mesoamerica with the Olmec, the Maya, and the Aztecs, all of whom believed it to possess mystic qualities (hello mood enhancer). The Olmec drank it thick, frothed (reminiscent of Cha Yen, or Thai iced tea), and cold, but it was the Aztecs’ King Montezuma II who drank it hot with vanilla (among other spices)-which is the version of the potion the Spanish Conquistadors took with them back to the high courts of Europe.

Countless iterations of the drink can be found around the world now; bartenders everywhere from Prague, to London, to Stockholm add a nip of something strong to theirs to keep their patrons warmed from the inside out. Chef Scott Campbell (formerly of Le Cirque and The Oak Room) offers an exceptionally traditional one at Butcher & Banker-a newly opened “steakeasy” in the defunct bank vault beneath the New Yorker Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

If a drink can be plush on the palate, Campbell’s hits the mark, and the sensation subtly flirts with the memory of the space that’s tastefully recalled around you. And while we can’t all cozy up in an underground hideaway, this batched cocktail is a fail-safe against any winter chill no matter where you sip it.

SQC Hot Chocolate | Chef Scott Campbell, Butcher & Banker

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 quart whole milk
2 oz. Valrhona cocoa powder
1 oz. sugar
3 oz. Valrhona chocolate chunks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (Campbell makes his own)
4 oz. bourbon

Instructions
In a saucepot, bring milk and cocoa powder to a simmer and add sugar. Reduce heat to very low and add chocolate, stirring occasionally until melted (3-5 minutes). Strain hot chocolate through chinois and finish with vanilla extract and bourbon. Hot chocolate can be topped off with homemade marshmallows or whipped cream.

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