Chocolate Wine

Rich chocolate wine made with port

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City/Region: England

Time Period: 1723

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In 2013, a hidden kitchen devoted entirely to the production of chocolate was discovered at Hampton Court Palace, a home of English royalty. George I hired the best chocolatier in the city, Thomas Tosier, to work in the chocolate kitchen. 

While we don’t have the menus or recipes for the chocolate that Tosier served the king or what Tosier and his wife, Grace, sold in their shop, it would have been made with water, milk, or wine, and is likely close to this recipe from 1723. 

This chocolate wine is super rich and decadent. The aroma and flavor of the chocolate hit you first, followed by the sweetness and bite of alcohol from the port. It’s delicious as-is, but would be wonderful with some spices mixed in, which would still be period-accurate, as much of the chocolate served at the time would have had things like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, or vanilla added for flavoring. Whichever way you have it, this is definitely worth a shot.

“To make Wine Chocolate.
Take a Pint of Sherry, or a Pint and half of red port, four Ounces and a half of Chocolate, six Ounces of fine Sugar, and half an ounce of white Starch, or fine Flour; mix, dissolve, and boil all these as before. But if your Chocolate be with Sugar, take double the Quantity of Chocolate, and half the Quantity of Sugar; and so in all.”

— The Cooks and Confectioners Dictionary: Or, the Accomplish’d Housewives Companion by John Nott, 1723

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Ingredients:

• 750 ml ruby port or 2 cups (475 ml) sherry
• Heaping 3/4 cup (170 g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons (14 g) flour
• 4 1/2 oz (130 g) unsweetened chocolate, grated or chopped finely

Instructions:

1. Pour the port or sherry into a medium saucepan. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
2. Sift in the flour and whisk until it’s incorporated, then stir in the chocolate.
3. Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a simmer, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk and simmer it, reducing the heat if it starts bubbling too much, for 10 more minutes.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit, stirring occasionally, until it’s cool enough to drink. It will thicken a bit more as it cools and will form a skin if you don’t stir once in a while.
5. Serve it forth warm in wine glasses or mugs.

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