James Beard award–winning bartender and co-founder of Crafthouse Cocktails, Charles Joly started putting spiked Mexican-style hot chocolate on his winter cocktail menus back in 2008 at the Drawing Room in Chicago. They would even go so far as to make boozy marshmallows with orange and vanilla liqueur, then toast them tableside. (At home you can top the drink with purchased marshmallows and use a kitchen torch to toast them until lightly browned for a similar effect.)

He explains about the chocolate, “I’ve fallen in love with the Picante Drinking Chocolate from Sleep Walk chocolate company in Chicago. It is perfectly spiced with cinnamon and cayenne and uses top-quality cacao. Widely available alternatives include Abuelita and Ibarra, but do yourself a favor and order up some Sleep Walk.