Paradise in a Travel Cup

For some reason, I decided to make hot chocolate from scratch 15 minutes before I was suppose to walk out the door to start my commute to work. The theme of this hot chocolate masterpiece is…tropical.
To start this project, I selected Valrhona Cocoa Powder from France. Valrhona’s deep, reddish brown unsweetened cocoa powder is exceptionally fragrant and makes a wonderful cup of hot chocolate. Since the “Best By” date was April 2008, it was in my retail “expired” products box for me to create something, donate or discard. From there, I browsed the refrigerator for more inspiration. I pulled out a carton of Half-and-Half and a lemon. However, I needed a something to counter balance the lemon…LIME! Darn, no lime. But I had something even better…Key Lime and Myer Lemon Margarita Mix. The blend of Key Lime and Myer Lemon juice lacks alcohol, yet the flavor is intense.

The base of the recipe is as follows:
6 oz Half and Half
2 tsp Valrhona
Key Lime and Myer Lemon Margarita Mix
Sugar

Due to my time constraints, I planned on making only one formulation with 1 tbls of Key Lime and Myer Lemon Mix and 2 tbls of Demerara Sugar. However, after taking a sip of my masterpiece, I thought to myself, “too sweet.” Although I used Demerara Sugar, other sugars are fine. So, I elected to try to another formulation with less sugar.

The second recipe contained Half-and-Half, Valrhona, 1 tbls of Key Lime and Myer Lemon Mix and 1 tbls of Demerara Sugar. I planned on sharing this recipe with my friend that receives the many benefits of my hot chocolate escapades.

After creating two rounds of hot chocolate in my trusty double boiler, I poured the mini hot chocolate masterpieces into travel mugs. Too impatient to wait until I arrived at work, I snuck another sip. What a wonderful blend, but something was missing? Considering I hit the road 10 minutes late, I arrived at work on time and placed my friend’s hot chocolate on her desk. Since she had yet to arrive to the office, this will be a nice little surprise. I hope.

Without a hitch, she was in my office a few minutes with a coffee in one hand and my hot chocolate in another. How dare she bring coffee into my office :>. A discussion began over the newly minted recipe. She enjoyed the creaminess of the blend and the overall flavor. I mentioned how I thought my recipe was too sweet. She thought the sweetness was just right with one 1 tbls of sugar, but the recipe could use a little more tang from the Key Lime and Myer Lemon mix. I agreed. Too bad I am out of margarita mix to reconfirm our new findings. As for that mug of coffee, she was frowning while sipping it. After a blast of a zesty hot chocolate, nothing could compare.