Hotel ChocolatThis year, Hotel Chocolat have bestowed upon us two new Winter hot chocolates - Gingerbread and Winter. So, how do they fare?
I tried Gingerbread first, which is made with 40% cocoa solids. Once opened, there was a very caramel aroma; I thought this strange seeing as it was supposed to smell of gingerbread. I also noticed milk powder in the ingredients which also did nothing to allay my fears. I made the drink to the recipe and tasted it. The good thing about this drink is that it indeed tasted of gingerbread, with a hint of spices. The bad thing is that it was milky, much too sweet and hardly tasted of chocolate at all! In fact, it was like gingerbread infused Horlicks. Er, next…
As the Winter drink comprised of 50% cocoa solids, I was expecting more of it. On opening, a sweet, dark aroma assaulted my senses (OK, maybe that’s a bit strong). This one also contained milk powder, so I had to forget about any serious dark hit. I made it to the printed recipe and tasted it. I’m not actually sure how much 50% cocoa made it into the drink, because it was more milky and sweet than chocolaty. Also, the praline flavour was nearly lost, and the chilli? Well, what chilli!
I would recommend both of these to anyone who likes seriously sweet, milky drinks. As for me, I’m sticking with Hotel Chocolat’s Aztec Chilli! I give Gingerbread 1/10 and Winter 2/10.
Available at:
Gingerbread - £8.00
Winter - £8.00
