Mexican-Style Spiced Hot Chocolate

Chocolate arrived in Europe as currency, medicine, and ultimately obsession, but we've rather missed the point. The Aztecs and Maya understood something we forgot in our rush to add milk and sugar: chocolate is not meant to be tame. Their _xocolātl_ was bitter, spiced, occasionally hallucinogenic, and served to warriors before battle. Not exactly the cozy fireside drink we've turned it into. This version splits the difference. It keeps the soul—that earthy cacao punch, the heat from chilies that creeps up on you, the cinnamon that makes you think of ancient rituals—but adds enough comfort to make it something you'd actually want to drink on a Tuesday evening. The secret is natural cacao powder, which hasn't been alkalized into submission. It's got edges, personality, a slight astringency that makes you pay attention. The Maya believed chocolate was a gift from the gods. After making this properly—whisking it into silk, feeling that first hit of chili heat followed by chocolate depth—you might find their cosmology entirely reasonable.