Every Wednesday is Domestic Science day at Living Behind the Curve.

Yesterday afternoon, after the second of two job interviews, I dropped by my local thrift store. I noticed that there was a new painting on the window, and took a step back to take in the whole picture.

“A stocking? Wait, no. It can’t be. That’s not an elf, either. There’s no way. Damn. That thing over there is definitely a badly-drawn reindeer. What the hell?” I shook my head and walked through the door. Everything seemed normal, until I got to the housewares section, where there were rows upon rows of red and green merchandise. Dozens of hand-made stuffed trees fought wooden snowmen for shelf space, and two little old ladies wrestled over snowflake-shaped doilies.

Yeah, okay, so maybe there was no wrestling.

It took me a minute to realize that this particular store had not hit paydirt at a Claus family estate sale: it’s Christmas in July. (The prices, BTW? No better than you’d pay in December, at least at this store.) And so, in honor of the winter season of consumption being just six months away, I thought I’d offer up one of our favorite winter beverages.

In the winter of 2006, when we went caroling with a group of friends, Mer conjured this recipe this past winter to keep us toasty. It’s grown-up cocoa with a spicy kick, and it goes very well with cognac. It does require some advanced preparation in the form of a homemade cordial, however, so you might want to start soon.

Mer’s Kick-Ass Spiced Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vodka
• 2 ounces dried chipotle peppers
• 2 cups simple syrup ( 1 1/2 cups sugar dissolved in 1 1/2 cups water), cooled
• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 cup whole coffee beans
• pinch salt

Combine vodka, peppers, and simple syrup in a glass jar and seal tightly. Set in a dark place and allow to steep for a minimum of 3-4 weeks undisturbed. Strain and re-bottle in a clean jar.*

In a small saucepan, cook 2 teaspoons of the reserved chipotle cordial over very low heat until reduced by half. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa, sugar, and 1/2 cup milk. Pour mixture into a pot set over low heat and whisk in 1/2 teaspoon chipotle syrup, remaining milk, cream, salt, and coffee beans. Drop in cinnamon stick and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes. Strain and serve warm.

Serves 2-4.

*You will have chipotle cordial left over; bottled, it makes a wonderful gift; it’s a sweeter, more sophisticated version of Absolut Peppar.