Peppermint & Whipped Vodka Hot Chocolate Recipe

Warm up with this Peppermint & Whipped Vodka Hot Chocolate recipe, a festive holiday cocktail made with Pinnacle® Whipped Vodka, crushed peppermint, and a delicious homemade hot chocolate.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Pinnacle® Vodka. All of our posts, including this one, feature sponsored affiliate links which help to support the work on this blog.

Just after Thanksgiving, we turned our heater on for the first time this season. I was trying to make it to December 1, but it just wasn’t going to happen. Vegas was officially getting cold. Well, cold by Vegas standards.

With the heater filling our home with warm air, another cold weather staple started making its appearance as well: hot chocolate. In the evening, as we settle down to catch up on an episode of Fargo or Amazing Race, a cup of hot chocolate has begun settling in as my favorite treat after a long day.

Now, David isn’t the biggest fan of hot chocolate. It’s not that he doesn’t like it, but he’d much rather have a cup of coffee any day. But there is always one exception to that.  When I transform the humble cup of hot chocolate into a boozy cocktail, he NEVER turns that down.

If the weather is chilly where you live, and you’re looking for a cocktail to make this week, I have the perfect boozy hot chocolate for you: Peppermint & Whipped Vodka Hot Chocolate. It’s extremely easy to make with a trio of great flavors: chocolate, peppermint, and the delicate vanilla taste of Pinnacle® Whipped Vodka.

Pinnacle® Whipped Vodka is one of my go-to flavors from Pinnacle®, but there are LOTS of other Pinnacle® Vodka flavors to choose from–more than 40 different ones, including many seasonal varieties. They are very affordable too, so you can easily pick up a few different flavors.

While I used the Pinnacle® Whipped Vodka for my Peppermint & Whipped Vodka Hot Chocolate recipe, there are other flavors that I think would also work well too:

• Original Pinnacle® Vodka
• Pinnacle® Chocolate Whipped Vodka
• Pinnacle® Cookie Dough Vodka
• Pinnacle® Vanilla Vodka
• Pinnacle® Marshmallow Vodka
• Pinnacle® Cake Vodka
• Pinnacle® Peppermint Bark Vodka (possibly reducing the peppermint in the recipe)

The homemade hot chocolate is easy to make in a saucepan on your stove. With a few simple ingredients, such as milk, sugar, and cocoa powder, you can have a hot chocolate that will be worthy to serve to guests during the holidays.

After the hot chocolate is made, you’ll be ready to give it a cool mint flavor by adding crushed peppermint candies to it. I bought my crushed peppermints in the bulk bins at Winco (my local grocery store). If your store doesn’t carry it crushed peppermint candies, you can either crush your own or pick up a bag online: Mint Twists Crushed Peppermint Candy

The last step is to add the vodka. After removing your Peppermint Hot Chocolate from the heat, stir in about 1 cup of Pinnacle® Whipped Vodka. Of course, you could always add more if you’d like, but we found 1 cup to be perfect for us.

That’s all there is to it! Simply pour or ladle your Peppermint & Whipped Vodka Hot Chocolate into a mug, garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed peppermint or candy cane  sprinkles (like I used), and you’re ready to enjoy! Get cozy, and enjoy your mug of Peppermint & Whipped Vodka Hot Chocolate, because before you know it, the heater will be going off and the air conditioning will be needed again.

Peppermint & Whipped Vodka Hot Chocolate Recipe

Peppermint & Whipped Vodka Hot Chocolate Recipe

• Author: Brandie Valenzuela
• Yield: 40 ounces

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole milk (divided)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes
• 1 cup Pinnacle® Whipped Vodka
• Optional garnishes: whipped cream (crushed peppermint, sprinkles or colored sugar, chocolate curls)

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup of milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk in remaining milk until fully combined. Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Stir in crushed peppermint, and continue stirring constantly, until candies have dissolved and mixture is very hot, but not boiling.
2. Remove from heat. Stir in Pinnacle® Whipped Vodka. Pour or ladle into mugs, garnish with whipped cream and additional crushed peppermint, if desired.
3. Serves 3-4

Pinnacle® Vodka shakes things up with unexpected experiences and delightful discoveries. Explore with other fun flavors at http://www.pinnaclevodka.com.

Pinnacle® is a registered trademark of Jim Beam Brands Co., and is used with permission. This is a sponsored partnership with Pinnacle® Vodka. The information, comments, and ideas expressed on this website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Jim Beam Brands Co., its affiliated companies, or any of its directors or employees.