Chocolate was a drink in Mexico for thousands of years before it was ever a bar, prized by the Maya and the Aztecs. Champurrado is one of its oldest living forms: an atole, a warm drink thickened with masa, the corn dough of tortillas and tamales, flavored with chocolate, piloncillo and cinnamon.

It is thicker and more comforting than any hot chocolate you have had, and it is the drink of cold mornings, holidays and above all Día de Muertos, when it is poured alongside pan de muerto and tamales. Oaxaca, famous for its stone-ground chocolate, is its spiritual home.

Chocolate in Oaxaca

In Oaxaca’s markets, chocolate shops grind cacao with sugar, cinnamon and almonds while you wait, and the scent fills the street. The city’s Día de Muertos celebrations are among the most moving in Mexico. For more of Mexico, see our pieces on the St. Regis Mexico City and Ha’ at Xcaret.

Use Mexican chocolate

Mexican drinking chocolate, sold in tablets, is coarse, sweet and spiced with cinnamon, and gives the right flavor and texture. Masa harina, the flour for tortillas, is the easiest thickener.

Ingredients

Serves 6.

• 1/2 cup (60 g) masa harina
• 2 cups (480 ml) water
• 4 cups (950 ml) whole milk
• 3 oz (85 g) piloncillo, chopped, or 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 star anise (optional)
• 6 oz (170 g) Mexican drinking chocolate, chopped
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Dissolve the masa. Whisk the masa harina into the water until completely smooth.
2. Infuse the milk. Heat the milk with the piloncillo, cinnamon and star anise until the sugar dissolves and the milk is steaming.
3. Thicken. Whisk in the masa mixture and bring to a gentle simmer, whisking constantly, for 5 minutes as it thickens.
4. Add the chocolate. Add the chocolate and salt and whisk until melted. Simmer for 5 minutes more, whisking, until thick and velvety. Remove the spices.
5. Froth. Whisk vigorously, or spin a wooden molinillo between your palms as Mexican cooks do, to raise a foam.

How to serve it

Hot, in mugs or small bowls, with pan de muerto, churros or tamales for dunking.

Make it stronger

For the adults, a splash of mezcal or añejo tequila in each cup is very good on a cold night.

Make a menu of it

Complete a Día de Muertos spread with our pan de muerto and calabaza en tacha. More seasonal recipes are At the Table.

Photo: Tom White, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5