Holy babingo Brisbane, it is COLD THIS MORNING.
11 degrees. BUT THAT WIND CHILL! More like 2 degrees!
The man and I were up before sunrise to go work off the remains of our Thailand holiday (ugh), and I was so so glad to be headed to the heated gym, while he trudged off to pound pavement in the cold. Braver than me, that man!
So this morning's cold called for something a little more comforting than my standard long black.
Don't get me wrong, I had one of those too.
But afterward, I was still cold and thought I could take just a smidge more caffeine.
I'd heard of a dirty chai (chai spices, hot milk and a double shot of espresso, and probably some sugar)...but I had an even dirtier idea: A dirty mocha chai.
Yup, dreaming of hot chocolate, but being a flavour addict, I got creative.
The results? Bloody delicious. If you've got an espresso or pod machine, you can try this at home:
1. Double shot of espresso
2. 100ml - 150ml milk of your choice (I used Liddells full cream because I'm a lactard and that's what was in the fridge)
3. Sugar/Sweetener to taste - I used 3/4 teaspoon of raw sugar, because I'm fancy like that.
4. Chai spices - if you have a sugary chai milk powder mix you can use that in place of the sugar and chai spices, but I like to kick it old school and make my own. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cardamom and ground cloves are all great for this. Use any or all. Cinnamon, I believe, is imperative.
5. Cocoa powder/Cacao - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of your favourite unsweetened cocoa powder.
Method:
Draw down the espresso shot. Heat the milk with the frother, in the microwave or on the stove. Stir together cocoa, spices and sugar. Hit with a little boiling water, stir to a smooth paste. Top with espresso and hot milk, stir if necessary.
And THAT, my friends, is a dirty chai mocha. You can thank me later. I'm still drinking mine. Gorgeous!
Maybe we could try sneaking booze into at night? Some rum maybe? Thoughts?
xoxo,
AB