The sixteenth drink of my thirty day book as a bev series is a golden dark chocolate oat latte topped with a toasted marshmallow based on my paperback edition of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
I mentioned I was going to share my PHM concoction once I finished reading it on my last post, and since I managed to do that past week during the film’s opening weekend, now seems as ideal a time as any to post this.
There were characters and parts of the story I loved so much, but there were also some bits that rubbed me the wrong way, so I’m split on what rating to give it. I think I’ll post a more lengthy/in depth review once I see the film this weekend.
This beverage’s name is:
‘the mocha mary’
Name Explained: I played around with a couple of names for this drink using other characters and terms from the book, like rocky or astro_, but couldn’t think of anything that encapsulated the flavors of the drink other than a mocha which is essentially what it is. So, the result is a relatively simple and straightforward drink and name.
Dark Cocoa Syrup: I’d wanted to whip the dark cocoa with the coffee but I thought it would potentially brighten into something other than black which is what I needed. I opted for a syrup instead, akin to the chocolate sauce typically used in mochas – just without any vanilla and with some agave instead. The resulting texture was a thick syrup that retained its color. I found that using water that wasn’t hot resulted in a more solid whip that wasn’t pourable so make sure to use warm, or preferably, hot water when making the syrup!
Golden Coffee: Having used whipped coffee for another drink, I decided to use it again or this one as it’s hard to come up with naturally golden foods that are also enjoyable to consume. The longer you whip the coffee, the brighter it becomes, so I stopped whipping it before it turned as bright as the iced coffee I used for my Beloved drink.
Toasted Marshmallow: I used vegan marshmallows which could’ve affected the outcome of the toppers for this drink. They had a delicious crunch and resembled cookies in an attempt to incorporate a space/rock feel. I previously used marshmallows for my Addie LaRue drink and I toasted those for about 14 minutes to turn them gold, this time around I eyeballed them and took them out sooner so the color would be a tad lighter but still have some texture.
RATING: Overall I’d give the final drink a 4.0.
Flavor Combination: There isn’t much to write about the flavors of this drink, it’s an iced mocha with the hints of oat from the milk peeping through. Because it’s rather simplistic I didn’t rate it too highly though it’s not bad by any means. I like drinks that are normally more complex, but going for the basics once in a while isn’t bad.
Ease: Aside from the time needed to preheat and toast the marshmallows needed in the oven, the rest of this drink can be assembled in a few minutes.
Appearance: The drink did not come out the way I’d intended for it to at all, haha, but I’m not mad at it. I’d planned for the dark cocoa syrup to be on top and the golden whipped coffee to be on the bottom, but when I’d begun to assemble it the coffee floated to the top, so I rolled with it. I decided to line the cup because I realized there wasn’t as much black in the final drink as I’d wanted. I also think I should’ve added some mini marshmallows to incorporated more white into the final product since the marshmallows ended up more golden. For all of those reasons I docked the rating a bit.
Ways to Improve: Flavor-wise, the drink was a bit sweet, but most whipped coffees are as a result of the sugar needed to get the golden texture and consistency. I’d personally reduce the sugar a tad, but leave everything else the same to enjoy it more, though that would result in a less golden and more brown beverage.
Links to all items used:
Mason Jars (exact): https://amzn.to/3PAmN85
Mason Jars (exact): https://amzn.to/4dvJGmS
Black Cocoa (exact): https://amzn.to/4bGO3Jp
Instant Coffee (exact): https://amzn.to/4rQWJ5W
Instant Coffee (alternative): https://amzn.to/4d9bjlJ
White Sugar (exact): https://amzn.to/4c2neRk
Agave (exact): https://amzn.to/4bsnabU
Oat Milk (exact): https://amzn.to/4bujcRv
Marshmallows [vegan] (exact): https://amzn.to/4bsjlF8
Hand Whisk (exact): https://amzn.to/4buHFGn
This post contains some affiliate links which means a commission may be received, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
A video showing the process should be up soon~
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!
~ C.C.
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