Now that my birthday is over and done with (albeit I have yet to unpack the rather fancy food processor that my parents gave me), I'm dragging myself into a festive mood.
Like so many people, I can't quite comprehend the fact that we're nearly in December. I may have started my Christmas shopping. I may have two Christmas parties coming up in the next few days. I may even have convinced my boyfriend that we should buy our Christmas tree this weekend. But despite all of that, I'm still pretty sure that it's really only September.
One of the greatest tragedies of getting older is the fact that Christmas doesn't seem quite so exciting as it did when I was a child. I spend most of the year in a state of fevered anticipation for the holiday season but, once it arrives, all that excitement gets lost amid the mundane details of everyday life. It's hard to feel festive when you've got a report to write and three loads of laundry to do before bedtime. And, sadly, all the Christmas candles in the world can't do anything to change that.
But I am not going to let the realities of being an adult get in the way of my childlike enthusiasm for Christmas. My Ella Fitzgerald Christmas album is on repeat as I write this and I am going to insist on at least one viewing of Home Alone this weekend. Hopefully accompanied by some kind of ridiculous mini party food, most likely wrapped in bacon.
Because no matter how many boring jobs there are on my to do list or how many conference calls or meetings I need to go to, it's hard not to feel jolly when you've got a vol-au-vent in one hand and a glass of something fizzy in the other.
Or, indeed, when you're indulging in a giant mug of the most ridiculous hot chocolate ever.
To continue a tradition that I started last year, I celebrated the start of my Christmas shopping (a task I both love and hate in equal measure) with a (very) large mug of boozy hot chocolate when I returned from Oxford Street. This year, white chocolate and a generous helping of double cream makes this extra indulgent and the vanilla vodka gives it a more than welcome kick.
I get emails almost every week about this mug which featured in last year's hot chocolate post too. The mug was from Marks & Spencer last year and, sadly, I haven't seen it in stores this year (although you can purchase my rather snazzy Christmas jumper from there if desired). A quick trawl on ebay did turn up some similar mugs though should you be so inclined.
~
White chocolate and vanilla vodka hot chocolate
Inspired by my salted caramel vodka hot chocolate
Yield: 1 giant cup or 2 normal sized cups
Ingredients
- 400ml (1 2/3 cup) milk
- 50g (2 oz) good quality white chocolate, broken into small pieces (I used Green & Blacks)
- A pinch of sea salt
- 1 - 2 tablespoons double/heavy cream
- 25ml (just under 2 tablespoons) vanilla vodka
Cooking Directions
- Heat the milk over a low heat until it's just about to boil; stir frequently to prevent scorching.
- When the milk is hot, take it off the heat. Add the chocolate and salt and stir until all the chocolate has melted.
- Add the cream and vodka and stir to combine, pour into a mug and enjoy!