Grown Up Chocolate Milk

An original recipe by ME
Part of my Nostalgic Cocktails Series
Inspired by the Lion King

Hakuna Ma’Vodka…it means no worries (for the rest of your night).

This Nostalgic Cocktails Series is seriously my favorite thing to work on in my spare time. I’m hoping that when I’m done cooking my way through the MasterChef Junior Cookbook, I can spend a lot more time working on these.

For example, I have been wanting to create this cocktail for months. Getting to mix, photograph, and enjoy this cocktail was so much fun! Let me tell you about it.

Growing up in the 90’s, I watched the Disney animated film, The Lion King, over and over and over. I still remember a few scenes vividly; especially the musical number, Hakuna Matata, where Timon and Pumbaa teach Simba to eat grubs (slimy, yet satisfying).

Also, growing up, I was cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs: the sugary, chocolatey cereal that filled my bowl every Saturday morning. And when I can, I like to incorporate as many nostalgic components to a drink as possible. So what’s better than regular chocolate milk? Cereal chocolate milk. Yup, that’s the first and main component of this incredible Nostalgic Cocktail.

I knew I wanted a Lion King drink to be inspired by the incredible motto, Hakuna Matata, but I also envisioned it having dirt and grubs, so when taking the pictures, I set the scene with dirt (finely crush Cocoa Puffs, and included gummy worms and frogs as well. So that’s how this chocolatey throwback concoction came together. Also, who didn’t have chocolate milk coursing through their veins as a child? We deserve to have it more often in our adult lives, if you ask me, so spiking it with vodka and coffee liqueur is the natural next step.

Below you will find the recipe card that you can save straight to your phone. If you end up making it, please take a pic and tag me on Instagram (@cook.like.a.tid). Nothing makes me happier! Cheers, and please drink responsibly.