Queenie Cooks: Hot chocolate, boozy and non.

I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but here in New York City, wintry winds and bone-chilling freezes are upon us - finally! And yes, by "finally," I mean, "yay!" See, unlike many normal human beings, I crave the cold. I absolutely love wintertime, especially when it's new and fresh and crisp and clean like it is in New York in December. (Snowstorms in March are, I grant you, a bit tiresome.)

Wintertime - and especially the holiday season - means sparkly decorations and twinkly lights, and it's a time when cocktails come in two varieties: hot and cold. Yes, winter is the season of the hot buttered rum and hot toddy, but also of eggnog and shaker upon shaker of brown-liquor cocktails. It is also the season of spiking. Sure, summer has spiked lemonade, but hot spiked drinks are really where it's at, if you ask me.

You toss a little whiskey into your coffee, or maybe some rum into your tea, but my heart is with the combination of smoky, sweet bourbon and rich, creamy hot chocolate. When my apartment turns so delightfully chilly that I need a blanket to enjoy sitting on my couch, I turn to this tried and true combination to warm me up from the inside out, and it works every time.

Hot chocolate I have known and loved; both photos from my trip to Prague in 2006.

Now, don't go trying this with hot chocolate from a box, canister or (heaven forfend) a paper packet. If you're treating yourself you should, well, treat yourself. You deserve quality chocolate. Really, you do. (I typically go for Scharffen Berger for this recipe, but Guittard is s slightly less-expensive, still-really-tasty option.) And don't go skimping on the whipped cream, either. This hot chocolate means serious, thick business, and you'll want the cream to cut through the richness of it all.

Last, but certainly not least: if you prefer to go booze-free here, please do so. This recipe is in fact originally a non-alcoholic one; I just have a tendency to enjoy the holidays as an excuse for profligate cocktailing. There's no need for you to fall into my debaucherous ways.

Though I'll be over here with the bourbon if you decide you must.

(Spiked) Hot Chocolate
Adapted from Pierre Hermé

2 cups milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
4 tbs. bourbon
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Bring the milk, water, and sugar to the boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the chocolate and, stirring with a whisk, heat the mixture until one bubble pops on the surface.

Pull the saucepan from the heat and whip the hot chocolate for one minute with an immersion blender or in a regular blender.

Divide the bourbon evenly and pour it into two large mugs. Pour or ladle the hot chocolate into the mugs, dividing it evenly between the two. Stir gently a few times to distribute the bourbon throughout the chocolate. Top with the whipped cream and serve immediately.

Alternatively, you can pour the hot chocolate into a container to cool. The hot chocolate can be made up to two days ahead (without the bourbon) and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stovetop.

Serves two, generously.