When we were in Nicaragua last month I took a fascinating class called "From Bean to Bar". We roasted cacao beans, ground them (hard work!), and made Mayan, Aztec and Italian hot chocolates, and then a chocolate bar. It was really fun! This recipe isn't exactly the authentic drink (I will put that in here, too) because I used milk instead of water, but it is tasty and will warm you up on a cold day.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS (see the NOTE below for authentic ingredients)

• 1 cup of coconut milk (so delicious brand) * you can use real milk also
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of fresh ground nutmeg
• dash of chili powder
  
• drop of vanilla
• 2  heaping tablespoons of  sweet baking chocolate (best quality you can find) ... or more depending on what you like.

NOTE: 

For Mayan Hot Chocolate (called cah cah wah toh, meaning "bitter water")
Cacao paste
hot water
cinnamon
black pepper
honey

For Aztec Hot Chocolate (called xcah lah toh, meaning "hot water" as in spicy)
Same as above and add:
cayenne pepper
vanilla

For Italian Hot Chocolate, the first European, (called chocolatte)
Use hot milk instead of hot water
add lots of sugar instead of honey
only use cinnamon and vanilla

I used regular milk, and heated it with the chocolate in a pyrex measuring cup. I used 8 oz of 1% milk and 1/2 of the 4oz bar of unsweetened cacao. If you are using raw honey that's really thick (you can't pour it) add that, as well. I ended up using about 2 tbsp.

The Mayans and Aztecs used a wooden implement that you stand in the pitcher and roll back and forth quickly in your hands. like when you make a snake with clay. I did the same with a whisk. Add a dash of black pepper, a dash of cayenne, about 1/2-1 tsp of vanilla and a couple of shakes of cinnamon. (Adjust to your taste!)

If you use cacao instead of cocoa powder, this is thick, delicious chocolate, like in the movie Chocolat. See how it clings to the mug? And the subtle heat is really tasty - not any specific flavor to it, just a nice warming. You can make it more traditionally using the cocoa powder, just omit the sweetener (or add to your taste).

RP Servings: 1-2 (it's very rich!)

RATING: 4 stars

My husband gave this 3 1/2, but he's not a big chocolate person. AND he kept coming over to me and taking more sips, so I think it grew on him! This is the real thing (esp if you use water instead of milk), so you can impress all your guests (or children!) with your little history and language lesson!

Let's face it, there's more to all those flavored vodkas than just a sweet summer beverage. I drink my morning coffee black, but who's to say I can't have a little afternoon toddy with the leftovers? (Or use decaf!) This recipe uses one of the newer flavors of vodka, whipped cream, to put the ultimate twist on those coffee beverages.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces of coffee, chilled
• sweetener, added when coffee is hot
• 2 ounces of whipped cream flavored vodka
• creamer to taste

NOTE: we didn't have whipped cream flavor, so I used marshmellow

Mix everything together and pour over ice.

RP Servings: 1

RATING: 3 stars as I made it
I think the base of this is great, but obviously you have to tweak it to your own tastes. Since I drink coffee black now, and never put sweetener in (just milk), I didn't add extra sugar. That was a good decision, but I either put in too much milk, or my coffee needed to be stronger. Obviously the whipped cream flavor vodka would give you a different/more milk taste. But it's definitely worth experimenting with to make your own - I'm sure it could be 4* very easily!

I don't know that we've had a BEST EVER recipe that features alcohol before! Don't worry, guys- I will take one for the team and try this rum punch out. I was at a party, so it was the least I could do.

Ingredients:

• 3 C Orange Juice
• 3 C Pineapple Juice
• 3 C ginger ale
• 3 C rum
• ¼ grenadine
• juice of 1 lime
• limes, pineapples, and fun umbrellas for garnish (optional)

Mix everything together in a large pitcher or punch bowl and add ice. Yum!

This is perhaps a bit of a cheat, since it's more of a METHOD than a RECIPE. However, at the time of this writing, I'm getting ready to leave for Uganda in a few days (I'll be there when you're reading this) and really needed to know how to make my own single-serve decaf coffee "tea bags." While Uganda grows amazing coffee, they have never heard of decaf apparently. I can't drink decaf regularly due to migraines, so rather than bring herbal tea for every morning - which isn't the same as coffee, no matter how good! - I'm taking matters into my own hands.

INGREDIENTS

Your favorite coffee
Empty tea bags or coffee filters
String

I have these tea bags because I get awesome loose leaf tea from Teavana. If you don't have them (they're available on Amazon), you can cut up coffee filters as described here.

Add 2 tbsp of ground coffee (not instant!) to each tea bag.

Two with the string, leaving a tail so you can get the coffee bag out of the coffee when it's brewed.

To make: pour boiling water over the coffee bag. Tip: don't add the bag to the water, add the water to the coffee!

Using a semi-French Press method, use a spoon to push the bag to the bottom. Let sit about 4-5 minutes, mashing it every once in awhile (or to desired strength).

Remove the bag and enjoy! In a pinch you could reuse the bag for a second cup, if it hasn't dried out. The second cup will be weaker.

RP Servings: 1 per bag

RATING: 4 stars

While this *maybe* isn't as good as coffee brewed in a percolator or drip machine, it really is good - as the coffee you use - and definitely better than most hotel room coffee or *gasp* no coffee at all!

To use in a hotel room with a single serve brewer, put the coffee bag in the cup and run water through the system with no coffee in it.

I can tell you something right now- looking at the ingredients, I'm not going to be able to taste the alcohol in this drink. I'm pretty sure all I'm going to be able to taste is sugar. I'm so excited.

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup Malibu rum with coconut liqueur
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• splash of grenadine (just enough to make the bottom of the glass red)

Optional garnish: slices of pineapple and maraschino cherries

Put 3-4 ice cubes in the bottom of a glass, and pour the pineapple juice and rum over the ice.

Before you drink it, mix it all together.

Servings: 1
Stars: 4 stars if you like sweet drinks where you can't taste the alcohol. That's my kind of drink, so I looooved it.

Bonus picture 1: This is when I made the second drink, and I just poured the grenadine in instead of trying to slowly pour it down the side of the glass. It's a bit hard to see in the pictures, but it was actually way more pretty and layered when you poured it in like this.

Bonus picture 2: I turned around and my cat had decided that she really wanted to drink the pineapple juice. Seriously, cat? Pineapple juice??