Cayenne, cinnamon and Himalayan salt elevate SoGo Tea Bar’s Aztec Cocoa

SoGo Tea Bar’s Aztec Cocoa went from being a spontaneous kitchen experiment to a customer favorite. 

Red Stick Spice Co. had just gotten a Vitamix blender. While experimenting with it, a barista mixed the shop’s popular Aztec Spice Cocoa mix (usually a hot cocoa ingredient) with ice and milk. She handed the “dessert in a cup” to shop owner Anne Milneck, and it instantly became a favorite. 

When Milneck was developing the menu for the shop’s SoGo Tea Bar, she knew the cold chocolatey concoction would be a hit. So she made it available to customers as a sweet year-round treat. 

The Aztec Cocoa is made with Red Stick Spice Co. hot cocoa mix, ice, milk of your choice, cayenne, cinnamon and Himalayan salt. It’s topped with whipped cream. 

“With this drink, your eyes eat first, but then your nose eats,” Milneck says. “You’re getting that warm cinnamon and rich chocolate aroma. A lot of the experience of this drink is the overwhelmingly enjoyable smell of cinnamon and spice.” 

Chocolate lovers can order The Aztec Spice Cocoa mix a few ways at SoGo Tea Bar: frozen and blended with ice and milk; classic-style hot chocolate with steamed milk; or get a tin to go at the spice shop and make your own drinks at home. Pro tip: Reuse your cocoa mix tin for 15% off your refill.  

SoGo Tea Bar is inside Red Stick Spice Co. at 662 Jefferson Highway. Hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from noon-4 p.m. redstickspice.com

This article was originally published in the July 2022 issue of 225 magazine.