Peppermint Mocha
Chocolate, coffee and mint. The whole drink hinges on one measurement, because a quarter teaspoon of peppermint extract is Christmas and half a teaspoon is toothpaste.
At a glance
- Espresso : milk
- 1:5
- Active time
- 4 min
- Total time
- 6 min
- Makes
- 1 large cup
- Serve
- Hot, with cream
- Kit
- Espresso machine
Ingredients
Note: Peppermint extract and peppermint flavouring are not the same strength. If yours is a flavouring rather than an extract, start with half and taste.
Method
-
Chocolate and salt in the cup
Chop 20 g of dark chocolate finely into the bottom of the cup with a pinch of salt.
-
Pull the shot onto it and stir smooth
A double straight on, then stir for thirty seconds until there are no lumps and the mixture is glossy.
This has to happen before any milk goes in, while the liquid is at its hottest. Full detail is on the mocha page.
Stir 30 seconds -
Measure the peppermint
A quarter teaspoon, measured with a spoon rather than shaken from the bottle.
Peppermint extract is typically around 80 percent alcohol carrying a very high concentration of menthol. A careless splash is three or four times the dose and the drink becomes undrinkable.
-
Steam, pour and top
Texture 200 ml of milk, pour it in from a height so it mixes, and finish with whipped cream and crushed candy cane if you want the full version.
Why this works
Menthol is the reason this drink is so easy to get wrong. It does not work on your taste buds; it binds to TRPM8, the same cold receptor that responds to actual low temperature, and tells your brain the drink is cold. In a small dose that produces a pleasant cooling lift against hot chocolate and coffee. In a large dose it overwhelms everything else and the association most people have with that intensity is toothpaste and mouthwash, which is a hard thing to unthink once it has happened.
A quarter teaspoon in a 250 ml drink is roughly the threshold. It is a narrow window, and extract strengths vary between brands, so the first time you make it with a new bottle, start lower.
Chocolate does the structural work. Cocoa butter coats the tongue and slows how quickly the menthol arrives, which is why peppermint in a mocha is far more forgiving than peppermint in a black coffee. The pinch of salt pulls the same trick as in any mocha, suppressing bitterness so the chocolate reads as richer.
Commercially this is a December drink almost exclusively. Search interest climbs sharply from the first week of November, peaks in the fortnight before Christmas and collapses by the second week of January, which is worth knowing if you are planning when to publish anything about it.
Variations
- White peppermint: use white chocolate instead, which is the sweeter version.
- Iced: build and cool the chocolate base, then pour over ice and cold milk.
- Fresh mint: a few leaves muddled in the hot espresso, which is softer and more herbal than extract.
- With a drop of vanilla alongside the peppermint, which rounds it off.
Made it?
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Questions
How much peppermint extract should I use?
A quarter teaspoon per drink, measured. Extract is around 80 percent alcohol carrying concentrated menthol, so a splash from the bottle is easily four times the dose and tastes medicinal.
Extract or syrup?
Extract gives a cleaner mint and lets you control the sweetness separately. Peppermint syrup is easier and sweeter; use about 20 ml and reduce any other sugar.
Why does mine taste like toothpaste?
Too much menthol. There is no way to rescue the cup, so halve the extract next time. Chocolate buffers it, so more chocolate also helps.
Can I use fresh mint?
Yes, and it is quite different: softer, grassier and much less cooling, since fresh mint carries far less menthol. Muddle a few leaves into the hot espresso and strain.