“Assume Nothing!” A mantra for The Crown as we worked towards opening our doors in March of 2019, the phrase became a Menu section, encouraging our visitors to drop their preconceptions and be open to new and delicious experiences. And now it’s the title of a recipe series, for you to recreate at home. Here’s to a year of assuming nothing!

Ghost Pepper Mint Mocha

Recipes:

Mint syrup: 

  • 6g mint leaf
  • 500g organic cane sugar
  • 500g water

Put the sugar and water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the mint and boil for 10 minutes or until the desired mintiness has been reached. Remove from heat and strain out the mint. Store in a container for up to a month. 

 Mint whipped cream: 

  • 1g fine kosher salt
  • 250g mint simple syrup
  • 300g heavy cream 

At The Crown, we use an iSi Gourmet Food and Cream Whipper with CO2 cartridges, but you can use any cream whipper or do it by hand or with a hand mixer in a bowl. Simply combine all of the ingredients and whip it up! 

Ingredients:

  • 40g chocolate ganache
  • .5g ghost pepper salt
  • 2 shots of espresso
  • 10oz of steamed milk of your choice

Directions:

To make our chocolate ganache, we use a special cacao blend from Cru Chocolate that includes a small percentage of sugar and cacao butter, but of course, you can use your favorite chocolate. Layer 40g of chocolate ganache to the bottom of your latte cup and add a pinch (.5g) of Ghost Pepper Salt. Add your espresso shots on top, and swirl thoroughly to incorporate the coffee, chocolate, and ghost pepper. Add the milk, and top with mint whipped cream! Bon appétite! 

Description:

Drawing inspiration from our motto, ‘assume nothing,’ we brainstormed ways to turn holiday drink expectations deliciously on their heads. One of the most ubiquitous of winter holiday flavors is peppermint, and we decided to do our own twist on the peppermint mocha. Why not use some real pepper? Some fresh mint? We did some research into the world of peppers, looking for fun flavor pairings to work with our delicious Cru Chocolate ganache, and we landed on the Ghost Pepper. 

Naga Jolokia, aka the Ghost Pepper, rates a whopping 1,041,427 Scoville Units that means it’s a very hot pepper indeed! We worked out a flavor balance using the Ghost Pepper Salt from our friends at Oaktown Spice Shop that would pack plenty of heat while still being approachable and enjoyable to drink. To top off our spicy, salted chocolate treat, we created a sweet and cooling mint whipped cream to refresh the palate and keep your taste buds from getting too toasty. Each sip of the Pepper Mint Mocha has plenty of sugar and spice. We hope you like it!