Ahead of a cosy, love-filled Valentine’s Day, now is the time to practise for the perfect things to spice up your day with your loved ones. This perfect chocolate drink can be served hot on a cold day or cold on a hot afternoon and requires only four ingredients, three of which you most likely have in your kitchen cupboard.

Hot chocolate. Photo credit: Bon Appetit

***Recipe serves four.

Ingredients

In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the milk, water and sugar to a boil.
Take the pan off the heat and whisk the chocolate in.
Blend the hot chocolate with a hand-held blender in the saucepan for 1 minute or in a traditional blender on high speed for 1 minute. (Make sure to remove the centre insert from the top of the blender, and cover the top with a folded kitchen towel to allow steam to escape.)
Serve the hot chocolate immediately, while it is still very hot and frothy or pour the chocolate into a container to cool and store in a tightly-covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Chill the hot chocolate until it is very cold, then stir in 200g cold milk.
Blend the cold chocolate for 1 minut.
Serve the cold hot chocolate over an ice cube or two.
You can cool in a tightly sealed jar for 2 days; reheat gently, or serve as cold hot chocolate.