Three kinds of hot chocolate to keep you warm this Christmas

Are you a certified member of the “Samahan ng mga Malalamig ang Pasko?” Don’t worry! “Good News” recently featured three unique types of hot chocolate guaranteed to warm up even the coldest holiday nights. 

Hot chocolate not only tastes good, but can also be good for you. Authentic hot chocolate is usually made from tablea or cocoa powder, and can be packed with antioxidants, which help protect the cells in a person’s body.

Ever since the Spanish brought hot chocolate to the Philippines hundreds of years ago, Filipinos have invented unique ways of using the ingredient in desserts. In fact, in Dr. Jose Rizal himself wrote about two different kinds of hot chocolate—the rich and thick tsokolate-eh, served only to VIP politicians and businessmen; and the watered-down tsokolate-ah, served to ordinary indios—in his landmark novel “El Filibusterismo.”

Nowadays, almost anybody can enjoy different kinds of chocolate, and not just during Christmas, but all year round. Here are a few different types of hot chocolate you may want to try this holiday season:

Traditional hot chocolate

An "Cafe Adriatico Premiere" restaurant in Malate, hot chocolate is still served the traditional way. The restaurant uses batirol, a spoon-like utensil made of wood, to mix the hot chocolate before it is served. They also stick to traditional ingredients like carabao milk and tablea.

Here’s how to make this traditional recipe at home:

1. Boil water.
2. Add carabao milk, sugar, and cocoa balls or tablea.
3. Mix using a batirol for about an hour to achieve the desired consistency.

This version of tsokolate-eh is best served with pan de sal and kesong puti, or ensaymada with queso de bola.


Pinoy-style hot choco

Chocolate lovers may also want to try the hot chocolate served at "Tsoko Nut," a cafe with a number of branches around Metro Manila. "Tsoko Nut" specializes in serving authentic native-style hot chocolate.

To prepare their tsokolate, "Tsoko Nut" boils water, milk and tablea in a kind of saucepan called a tsokolateria. For an added twist, they sometimes add nuts and pinipig to their hot chocolate. "The spoonfuls of crunchy peanut paste were a salty contrast to my sweet drink," says food writer Alina Co, who also wrote about "Tsoko Nut" for GMA News Online last year.

The Christmas favorite bibingka is also available all year round at "Tsoko Nut" and goes well with their nutty hot chocolate.

Aztec hot choco

This kind of hot chocolate from "Café Xocolat" is not just warm, but spicy! It's mixed with chili flakes and nutmeg to achieve a distinctive flavor that the cafe's customers crave.

"Good News" host Bea Binene tried the spicy chocolate and seemed to like it. “Masarap siya ... Pero yung anghang malalasahan mo kapag nilulon mo na. Gumuguhit siya sa lalamunan,” she said.

"Cafe Xocolat" has branches in Quezon City, Greenhills, and Libis.

Photos taken from the official web pages of Cafe Adriatico, Tsoko Nut, and Cafe Xocolat.

—Rica Fernandez/PF, GMA News