This is a recipe for my favorite holiday drink - a variation on Irish cream. My roommate came up with the name "Dan's Skippy" on the grounds that it can't very well be called "Irish Cream" if it's made by an American of Italian descent using Canadian whiskey and Italian liqueur.

Dan's Skippy Irish Cream

1 lb milk chocolate
2 cans evaporated milk (that's the bigger 12 oz ones)
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
2 cups fresh strong black coffee OR two shots fresh espresso
3 cups heavy cream
1 bottle (750 mL) Canadian whiskey (Canadian Club and Windsor Canadian have both given good results)
Amaretto (optional)

Stirring constantly, melt chocolate in a large double boiler (my 2.5 qt one is barely large enough). Slowly add the first can of evaporated milk (do it too fast and the chocolate will lump). Add both cans of condensed milk, using the second can of evaporated to rinse the cans. Add coffee. Keep stirring over medium heat until the mixture is completely smooth (a little chocolate will invariably float to the top - don't worry about it).

Pour a small amount of whiskey into a large mixing bowl (6 qt minimum, 8 is better). Add chocolate milk mixture, stir. Slowly stir in cream, then whiskey - again, too fast and the chocolate will lump out. Add a splash of amaretto. Pour into sterilized bottles and seal. Makes (very roughly) 1 gallon.

You can drink it immediatley, but it's best if you let it sit in the fridge for at least a month. The chocolate will settle out in that time, so be sure to shake it well before serving. I don't know what the shelf life is, but I've had bottles sit for a year without going bad - in fact, it's incredible after that long.

My favorite ways to drink it are on ice, in coffee, over ice cream, or mixed with root beer (IBC is my brand of choice, as most others tend to curdle the cream). I estimate the alcohol content to be about 6%, maybe less. Enjoy!