Millner's Morning Cocoa Bitters

Mr Millner's Morning Hot Cocoa Bitters

Recipe by Evan der Millner

In a large enamel coffee pot or large ceramic jug that holds at least a litre of water, add the following:


5 heaped tablespoons of coca powder (unsweetened baking cocoa)

1 level tablespoon of turmeric powder

1 level tablespoon of ginger powder

if you have it available, you may also add:

1 level tablespoon of amchoor (dried green mango powder)

and 1 teaspoon of genuine cinnamon powder (which you must prepare yourself in your nut grinder from Ceylon cinnamon - and not from cassia). As Ceylon cinnamon is expensive, most commercial ground cinnamon is either cassia, or is adulterated with cassia. The best cooks know to obtain Ceylon cinnamon and grind it themselves. (Ceylon cinnamon bark is thin, and soft enough to take the imprint of a fingernail. Cassia cinnamon is a hard, thicker, and altogether coarser material, and it will not easily take a fingernail imprint.)

To this mixture, pour over a 1/4 cup or more if you wish of extra virgin olive oil.

The cocoa powder and spice mix will soak up the oil.

Keep adding more oil, until the cocoa will absorb no more of it; the mixture may be slightly sloppy; do not fear, your cocoa drink will not be oily.

Stir this with a wooden spoon, and then pour a litre of boiling water over the mixture. Stir it vigorously.

If you wish your cocoa drink to be thicker, slake a level tablespoon of tapioca or sweet potato flour in 1/5 cup of cold water, and pour this into the cocoa, all the while whisking with an electric whisk or stirring rapidly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens. You may use less thickener or more if you wish to vary the texture.

I usually serve this cocoa daily at the breakfast table; a large cupful can be topped up with a dash of cold, delicious walnut nut-milk.

You will find that two cups of this cocoa are extremely filling, and you should  have no hunger cravings until dinner time. Any left overs can be kept in the fridge and heated up as required in the microwave. It will keep quite well out of the fridge for up to a full day, even in summer time. It may need to be re-whisked before re-heating if it has been left standing for a long time.

This recipe is a staple in my diet - and has been for some years now. The cocoa is delightfully smooth, and richly flavoured. It is not at all oily to the taste. I vary the flavours slightly from time to time by adding different spice powders and herbs; it can be made with a dash of nutmeg, or mace. I have even experimented with chilli and black pepper.

If you are happy to have a small amount of sugar in your diet you may add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the recipe to sweeten it slightly; however, I do not recommend this, unless you intend to gradually wean yourself off the sugar by gradually reducing the amount you add to the recipe as you accustom yourself to the bitterness of the unsweetened drink.



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