There’s enough to serve four people but it’s easy enough to up or down the measurements depending on how many people you’re making it for.  As the main ingredient in this is water it’s ideal over Christmas when maybe you want a hot chocolate drink but are running short of milk.  I nearly always find myself using milk by the gallon and then finding I have a few drops left in the carton to last me from Christmas Day until the local shop opens following Boxing Day.

Ingredients

500 ml (about 1 pint) Water

400 g (14oz) Caster sugar

200 g (7oz) Cocoa powder

2 Cinnamon sticks

5 Star anise

8 Cloves

500 g (17.5oz) Dark chocolate, broken into pieces

2 Clementines or satsumas, skin left on, halved

1 Sprig of rosemary (if you have one!)

1 Bottle of red wine

Method

Put the water, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves in a pan and bring to a simmer (NOT a boil).

Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and whisk it well until the chocolate has melted and combined well with the other ingredients.

Add the clementines/satsumas and rosemary and allow to infuse for 10 minutes.

Add the red wine and warm through gently.

Place in a warm jug and serve.

The rosemary is a nice addition if you have it available but it’s not easy to come by here as it’s a Mediterranean plant and this time of year in the UK its most definitely more North Pole than Mediterranean temperature-wise!