Chocosuisse, the Union of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers, has
researched and attempted to duplicate Xocoatl, the original Aztec
chocolate drink. Here’s the recipe:
2 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 almonds, crushed
2 cups warm milk
2 tablespoons honey
grated rind of 1/2 lemon
3/4 oz. dark rum
3/8 oz. arrack (coconut palm liqueur)
dash allspice
dash ginger
Combine chocolate, almonds, and milk and heat over a low flame
until chocolate melts. Chill in refrigerator. When well chilled,
place in a blender or a shaker and add honey, lemon rind, dark rum,
arrack, allspice, and ginger. Beat to a froth and serve.
‘Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a
beneficent restorer of exhausted power; but its quality must be
good, and it must be carefully prepared. It is highly nourishing
and easily digested, and is fitted to repair wasted strength,
preserve health, and prolong life. It agrees with dry temperaments
and convalescents; with mothers who nurse their children; with
those whose occupations oblige them to undergo severe mental
strains; with public speakers; and with all those who give to work
a portion of the time needed for sleep. It soothes both stomach and
brain, and for this reason, as well as for others, it is the best
friend of those engaged in literary pursuits.’
— Baron Justus von Leibig (1803-73) German chemist and dietetic
expert
