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Healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate for Deep Sleep
your new bedtime ritual. in a mug.
Healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate for Deep Sleep
Ingredients
(makes 1 serving)
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup vanilla almond milk (or any vanilla milk alternative — see options below)
- 1 peppermint tea bag
- 1 tbsp cacao powder (unsweetened)
- Dash of cinnamon
- 1 square alice Nightcap chocolate
- Light pour of maple syrup (to taste — start with ½ tsp and go from there)
- Handheld frother
Instructions
- Combine your liquids — pour the water and vanilla almond milk into a small saucepan and set to low heat.
- Simmer gently — heat until just softly simmering (small bubbles around the edges, not a rolling boil). Remove from heat immediately.
- Steep your peppermint tea — add the tea bag to the warm liquid and let it steep for 10–15 minutes. Longer steep = stronger peppermint flavor. Don't rush this step — the peppermint is doing important calming work.
- Build your mug — remove the tea bag and set aside. Into your favorite mug, add the cacao powder, cinnamon, maple syrup, and one square of alice Nightcap chocolate.
- Pour the tea over — pour your warm peppermint tea directly over the mixture in the mug.
- Froth until smooth — use your handheld frother to blend everything together until the Nightcap chocolate is fully melted and the cacao is completely incorporated. Froth for at least 30–45 seconds for a slightly foamy, café-style finish.
- Sip slowly, sleep deeply. 🌙
Milk Alternative Options
- Vanilla almond milk: The OG choice here — light, subtly sweet, pairs perfectly with peppermint
- Oat milk: Creamier and naturally sweeter — great if you want a richer drink
- Coconut milk (carton): Lightly tropical, adds body — pairs beautifully with the cinnamon
- Cashew milk: Ultra creamy and mild — makes it feel extra indulgent
- Regular dairy milk: Works great if you're not dairy-free — whole milk for maximum creaminess
No vanilla milk alternative? Use plain almond milk and add a small drop of vanilla extract directly to the mug — ¼ tsp is all you need.
Substitutes & Swaps
- Peppermint tea: Chamomile tea (even more calming, softer flavor) / lavender tea / a blend of both
- Cacao powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder works just as well
- Maple syrup: Honey / agave / a few drops of liquid stevia for a lower-sugar version
- Cinnamon: A pinch of cardamom / nutmeg / or a small splash of vanilla extract
Tips & Upgrades ✨
- Don't skip the steep time — 10–15 minutes might feel long, but peppermint tea needs time to fully infuse. A weak steep means a weak peppermint flavor, and that balance of cool mint + rich chocolate is everything in this drink.
- Temperature matters — the liquid should be warm but not scalding when it hits the chocolate. Too hot and you risk burning the cacao; perfectly warm and it all melts together like a dream.
- Add a pinch of sea salt — a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt in the mug before frothing deepens the chocolate flavor significantly. Trust the process.
- Double the cinnamon — cinnamon is naturally warming and has its own gentle relaxing properties. This drink can absolutely handle more.
- Make it a double-chamomile moment — swap the peppermint tea for chamomile and you've created a layered sleep drink that combines the chamomile in the tea and the chamomile already in the Nightcap chocolate. Deeply cozy. Highly effective.
- Froth longer than you think — 45–60 seconds with the handheld frother will give you a beautifully smooth, slightly foamy top that makes this feel genuinely special. Worth the extra seconds.
- Make it a ritual — this drink works best when you commit to it. Dim the lights. Put the phone down. Sip it slowly. The Nightcap chocolate is doing its job, but so is the act of slowing down.
The bedtime drink that actually helps you sleep.
This isn't your average hot chocolate. It's a carefully layered sleep ritual disguised as the coziest drink you'll make all week — and once you've had it, plain chamomile tea is going to feel like a real step down. The base is a gently simmered peppermint tea, steeped long enough to be genuinely minty and calming. Into that goes a square of alice Nightcap chocolate, cacao powder, cinnamon, and a light drizzle of maple syrup — all blended together with a handheld frother until smooth, slightly foamy, and completely irresistible. It's warm, it's chocolatey, it's minty, and it's going to become your new evening non-negotiable.
What's inside Nightcap — and why it works.
alice Nightcap isn't just dark chocolate with a good name. Each square is formulated specifically for deep, restful sleep, using a blend of functional mushrooms and botanicals that have been used for centuries to support the wind-down process.* Reishi mushroom is heralded for managing stress and promoting restful sleep cycles over time.* L-theanine — a naturally occurring amino acid — promotes relaxation and helps you genuinely unwind (without the grogginess).* Chamomile contains apigenin, a naturally occurring antioxidant associated with calming the mind and supporting a restful state.* And magnesium plus zinc are essential minerals shown to increase the body's levels of naturally circulating melatonin.* One square of alice every evening will do the trick — and in this drink, it also happens to taste incredible.
The details that make this recipe perfect.
A few things that really matter here: steep that peppermint tea for the full 10–15 minutes. A rushed steep gives you pale, flavorless tea that can't hold its own against the richness of the cacao and chocolate — and the contrast between cool, fresh mint and deep, earthy chocolate is the whole point of this drink. Use unsweetened cacao powder (not hot chocolate mix) for a cleaner, more intense chocolate flavor with none of the added sugar. And froth for longer than you think — 45 to 60 seconds will give you a smooth, slightly foamy top that makes the whole thing feel genuinely luxurious. The maple syrup is a "to taste" situation: start light, froth, taste, and adjust.
Build it into your wind-down routine — and actually feel the difference.
The thing about functional mushroom chocolates is that consistency is where the magic happens. One Nightcap square, one evening at a time, adds up. This drink is the easiest possible way to make that a habit you actually look forward to — because it's not a supplement you're choking down, it's a drink you're genuinely excited about. Dim the lights, put the phone away, and make this the last thing you do before bed. Swap the peppermint tea for chamomile on nights when you want something even softer. Add a pinch of flaky sea salt to the mug before frothing for a deeper chocolate flavor. Make it yours — and make it every night.
Disclaimer: This blog contains promotional content about our products. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your wellness routine, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.
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Nightcap
Nightcap
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*$10 surcharge on all orders to FL, TX, AZ, HI. $9.99 shipping on one-time orders.
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Nightcap contains fairly traded organic dark chocolate, organic Reishi from 100% fruiting body mushrooms, chamomile, L-theanine, magnesium malate, and zinc citrate.
Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and OU-D kosher certified.
Other ingredients: organic semi-sweet 72% dark chocolate (organic unsweetened chocolate, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter), coconut oil, cocoa butter
Allergens: Coconut, Soy
Processed on shared equipment and may contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, or soy.
Nightcap is formulated with Reishi mushrooms to regulate sleep cycles and support stress levels, while also delivering an immediate feeling of nighttime relaxation from magnesium malate, l-theanine, zinc, and chamomile.
The real magic is in the long term benefits of the Reishi mushroom which, when taken regularly for about 3 weeks, can help manage stress levels and improve overall sleep cycles by down-regulating the nervous system.
Zinc and magnesium have been shown to increase the body’s levels of naturally circulating melatonin to regulate your circadian rhythm from within. Zinc has also been shown to quiet the mind after periods of mental stress.
Chamomile has long been used in calming nighttime rituals, while reishi's adaptogenic roots are linked to relaxation and overall balance. Together, they help set the stage for restful nights and refreshed mornings.
Magnesium is often associated with helping the body relax and ease into rest, while l-theanine is connected to a calm, balanced state by influencing mood-supportive neurotransmitters.
What to expect:
- In 30 minutes, fall asleep easier and sleep better
- In 30 days, notice restful sleep, sleep through the night, and experience a faster sleep onset
- After 3 months, enjoy healthy sleep cycles, increased sleep quality, and wake up rested
One square suits most.
Eat 1-2 squares of Nightcap an hour before bedtime to support sleep and relaxation. With nightly use, Nightcap will help to foster healthy sleep patterns and deeper sleep.
We exclusively use organic, fruiting body Reishi mushrooms that are hand-harvested when their medicinal compounds are at peak concentration. Our mushrooms are dried in the sun to soak up Vitamin D before undergoing a pure, starch-free extraction process.
All ingredients are third-party lab tested for safety and stability, and mushrooms are third-party lab tested for potency.