Great Uses of Ideas
Here's a use from Trevor Lancaster, of Perth, Australia, who implemented the following idea from Larry Baum: "Chocolate: The Original Recipe. Sell the original Aztec chocolate: the spiced, unsweetened drink. It might be surprisingly popular like that other bitter drink from a Central American tree--coffee." Trevor writes:
I used a recipe I found on the internet:
Aztec Chocolate Drink
Ingredients:
1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cups boiling water
ground pepper and chilies to tasteGrate the unsweetened chocolate into a bowl and cover it with a little of the boiling water. Mash the mixture into a paste. Add the rest of the water and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until frothy. Add the pepper and chilies to liven up the drink. The chocolate will not totally dissolve and will have a grittiness to it. For a more authentic drink let the mixture cool and then beat until frothy and drink.
Here are some pictures of me making it! I think it must be an aquired taste (like coffee); you certainly have to watch how much ground chili you add! I also tried it with milk, which was nicer, as was adding sugar, but of course that isn't Aztec. I also discovered that the Aztecs may have used hallucinogenic additives in some of their recipes, which would make the taste less important!
Thanks, Trevor, for showing your hot chocolate experience. It would be even more interesting to hear from someone who sold Original Chocolate in a cafe or market.