Step 1

Place a small saucepan on the counter. Add cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Stir to combine.

Step 2

Add 2 tbsp of cold milk and whisk until the cocoa powder is dissolved.

Step 3

Add the remaining milk to the pot. Place the saucepan over medium heat and whisk the mixture.

Step 4

Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and simmer gently over medium heat. Stir often, for about 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.

Step 5

For a mild flavour, immediately remove and discard whole spices and serve. For a stronger flavour, allow mixture to cool before placing in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Then, take the mixture out of the fridge, remove and discard the whole spices, and reheat the hot chocolate before serving.

Step 6

Garnish cups of hot chocolate as desired and refrigerate unused portions promptly.