After a get-together at home, I found a small vial of orange liqueur in my kitchen. The friend who left it behind said I can have it. It was too small and too precious a bottle to be risked for hit and miss experiments and so what did I use it for? Orange-flavoured hot chocolate!

Oh boy, did it hit the spot! I imagine almost every other coffee shop has this flavour combination but I was just thrilled to have something as decadent at home. It made my chocolate smoother and with only a hint of the orange, not too overwhelming, it made it seem mysterious and therefore, very special.

Recently, some friends announced they were dropping by that evening. I thought of serving my special chocolate concoction but didn't have enough orange liqueur. I had a basketful of oranges and some cartons of orange juice but I didn't know what would happen if I mixed these with hot chocolate with milk.

A quick trip to the grocery yielded a very small bottle of orange essence. Half a teaspoon of the liquid was enough when added to a half gallon pot of hot chocolate. It didn't have the kick of the liqueur but it was still a novelty. My friends loved it.

Try it! It's just perfect for the cool weather.