Celebrate world chocolate day with these fun recipes

Baby it’s cold outside
Why venture outdoors this winter when you can curl up and indulge yourself with one of these hot drinking chocolate and fine brandy cocktails, and raise a toast to World Chocolate Day on 7 July.
To ensure that you survive the worst of winter in indomitable style, Distell commissioned renowned cocktail specialist, Owen O’ Reilly to create three winter hot chocolate cocktails – or as he likes to call them, hot brandy choctails.
Fine pot still brandy and quality, dark chocolate always make a great pairing. Using the award-winning Van Ryn’s 10-year Vintage Brandy and the Van Ryn’s 12-year-Old Distiller’s Reserve pot still with NOMU’s latest range of premium hot drinking chocolate, these recipes can be made at home and promise the most decadent accompaniment to a chilly winter evening.

1. Van Ryn’s Pumpkin Chocolate Pie
Ingredients;
• 50 ml Van Ryn’s 10 Year Old Vintage Brandy
• 35 ml Pumpkin puree*
• 2 heaped teaspoons NOMU Skinny Hot Chocolate
• Top with boiling water ( leave space for cream)
• NOMU Vanilla whipped cream
Preparation;
• Build all ingredients in serving vessel. Pour Brandy and pumpkin puree into mug/glass. Add NOMU chocolate and stir to a paste, add boiling water and stir briskly. Top with vanilla whipped cream and garnish with pumpkin puree and NOMU cinnamon rub. Serve with a dessert spoon.
• Served in a parfait glass, garnished with pumpkin puree and NOMU cinnamon rub.

• *Pumpkin puree
o Use any dessert pumpkin (Butternut works well). Cut pumpkin in 4, remove seeds and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice (a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and dried ginger.) and bake on 200 for an hour or until pumpkin is soft to the touch.
o Step 2: While baking, make a spiced syrup: 300ml water with 200g sugar and 2 heaped teaspoons pumpkin pie spice on the stove to, bring to boil while stirring and simmer for 10 minutes.
o Step 3: Add chunks of baked pumpkin (skin removed) to a blender or food processor and add the spiced syrup. Blend until smooth and strain through a fine strainer. Add a little water if the puree is too thick. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

2. Van Ryn’s Blazing Chococcino
Ingredients;
• 50 ml Van Ryn’s 12-Year-Old Distiller’s Reserve Brandy
• 25 ml Citrus liqueur (Triple Sec)
• 2 or 3 heaped teaspoons NOMU just add water chocolate
• 75ml Filter coffee
• 75 ml Fresh milk
• Squeeze NOMU Vanilla Paste
Preparation;
• Use two small pots or frothing jugs with handles. Add all ingredients to one pot or jug and heat while stirring. Set liquid on fire and slowly pour burning liquid from one pot or jug to the next, repeat this step 4 or 5 times. Pour into serving vessel and garnish with a few marshmallows and drizzle with chocolate sauce.
• Served in a ceramic cup, garnished with marshmallows and NOMU chocolate sauce drizzle.

3. Van Ryn’s Coco-choco wine
Ingredients;
• 25 ml Spiced wine syrup*
• 50 ml Van Ryn’s 12-Year-Old Distiller’s Reserve Brandy
• 50 ml Filter coffee
• 50 ml Fresh Milk
• 50 ml Coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon of NOMU chocolate bits
• 1 teaspoon of NOMU skinny chocolate
Preparation;
• Add all ingredients to a saucepan on the stove top and heat while stirring constantly. Do not bring to the boil. Whisk or aerate the mixture before serving. Pour into a heatproof wine glass and garnish with a toasted coconut cluster marshmallow.
• *Wine syrup: add 1 cup red wine (Pinotage) and half a cup sugar to a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon Nomu decadent chocolate pieces and 2 tablespoons cracked green cardamom pods. Stir while heating until all sugar dissolves. Add the skin of one orange, bring to a light simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes. Bottle and store in the fridge for up to a week. (makes 200ml)
• Served in a wine glass, and garnished with large toasted coconut marshmallows.