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We’re setting sail for 2025, and regardless of how it turns out, I know how it’ll start—cold. Hot drinks are just the thing to keep the festivities cozy and uplifting, so let’s ring in the New Year with boozy hot chocolate. That’s no typo. But don’t fret, this is not a particularly complicated cocktail recipe. It’s død tante—hot chocolate with a twist—and it's the best cocktail for a cozy New Year's celebration.
Earlier this December, I went on possibly the most Christmas-y trip to Copenhagen. Denmark, as you may already know, consistently out-ranks most of the world in happiness. They’re also well-known for festive Christmas markets. As a fan of both happiness and sparkly things, I wanted to see what it was all about.
Although I can’t speak to the larger factors of their country’s happiness—like income, life expectancy, and community support—I did see their holiday markets. You’d be hard-pressed not to run into at least one a day. Every neighborhood had their own mini-market, if not a large one, and I must say, it was hella festive. Lights and evergreen garlands lined the tiny pop-up stalls, they sold brunkager (crisp ginger cookies), gløgg (here’s the recipe I use), and a drink I’d never seen before: død tante.
Død tante, which means “dead aunt" (the internet was not helpful at explaining the name's origin), is commonly made during these cold months in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. In other regions you might hear it called a lumumba, likely after Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo who was assassinated.
It's traditionally made with rum, but to keep the liquor variation options open, I’ve been referring to it lately simply as spiked hot chocolate.
This sweet drink mixes winter's festive coziness with hibernation laziness. Frankly, that cannot be beat. As I mentioned, you simply swirl a shot of rum into your favorite hot chocolate mixture, homemade or powder pouch. It’s common for this drink to be topped with whipped cream at the Christmas markets in Copenhagen. While that extra step reduces the lazy-factor, whipped cream is never a bad idea, so why deny yourself?
Like all cocktails, variations are afoot. If you don’t like rum, use whiskey, brandy, bourbon, or scotch. Personally, I recommend Goslings Bermuda Black Rum. The particularly heady aroma of vanilla in this rum is a fantastic match for hot chocolate and whipped cream. In fact, it’s so complementary that it’s hard to detect. I don’t say this often, but please measure the ounces so it doesn’t sneak up on you at the New Year’s Eve bash.
Again, you can spike any hot chocolate you like. I’ve been adding rum to my Easy Drinking Chocolate recipe, which is creamy, deeply chocolatey, and takes mere minutes on the stovetop.
Ingredients:
1 cup of cold liquid (water, milk, or a combination), divided
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
⅓ cup (2 ounces) good quality chocolate chips (like Guittard’s 46% chips)
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional, if your chocolate is very bitter)
1-2 ounces Goslings Bermuda Black Rum
1. Divide the cold liquid. Three quarters of a cup into a small pot over medium-low heat, and one quarter into a small bowl with the cornstarch. While the pot heats, stir the cornstarch and liquid to dissolve it fully.
2. Once the milk begins to bubble strongly around the edges, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Stir continuously until it thickens, about 10 to 20 seconds. Turn off the heat and add the salt and chocolate chips. Let the mixture sit for one minute to soften the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Taste the drinking chocolate. Add sugar if desired, and whisk in the rum. Enjoy immediately.
