Get Sweet On Chocolate

For many people, chocolate is the flavor of romance -- but it has its practical side, too.

Known throughout history as a tasty aphrodisiac, medical research is showing that chocolate also is good for your heart.

While most people nosh on chocolate bars and other confections today, cacao was first enjoyed as a beverage, sipped from a glass for many centuries before being turned into solid candy in the mid-1800s.

Chocolate Martinis For 2 *4 oz. chocolate liqueur (such as Godiva's) *3 oz. vodka *1 oz. grated chocolate (or 2 unwrapped Hershey's kisses) Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the chocolate liqueur and vodka to the shaker. Shake to mix and chill. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the chocolate.

The ancient Aztecs knew all about chocolate -- and thought it was a health drink, bringing renewed vitality to the people who sipped it (modern scientists are proving they were right). They whipped up a concoction of roasted, ground cacao beans and water, flavored it with peppers and other spices and called it the "elixir of the gods." Even today, many Latino cultures enjoy sipping (and nibbling) chocolate spiked with fiery chilies.

One man is credited for spreading the sweet word about chocolate: Hernando Cortes brought a cacao drink to Europe in the 1500s, but that spicy beverage proved too hot for most Europeans' tastes. It was only after someone replaced the chilies with sugar and cinnamon that chocolate grew in favor. But when it did, it went gangbusters: Chocolate houses serving sweet, warm cocoa drinks popped up all over Europe by the mid-1600s. It wasn't until another century or so later that the creamy hot chocolate and chocolate milk beverages we know and love came about, thanks to the Swiss, who added milk powder to their cacao drinks.

Today, chocolate-flavored beverages are everywhere -- from chocolate milk in your grocer's refrigerator to a steamy mocha at the neighborhood coffeehouse and even in the form of a chocolate martini at a swanky bar.

So, lift a toast (either in the form of hot chocolate, mocha or martini) to chocolate this Valentine's Day. It's good for your heart -- in so many ways.

Do you have a drink recipe you'd like to share? Send recipes, comments or just a quick hello to Lisa Morrison at lisa@ibsys.com.