The last time I used a batirol was in my parents’ house in Cebu when I was still in college. A batirol is a wooden whisk used to mix tablea (a block of pure cocoa) and water into a thick, grainy, hot chocolate drink. In fact, the Bisaya word for “to whisk” is “batil”, which is probably a derivative of batirol. For a truly rich drink, we use one cup of water (225 ml) per tablea. The tablea and water are mixed in a cast-iron pitcher called a tsokolatera. Like a kawali or wok, a tsokolatera (Chocolatera or Chocolate Pot) performs better as it ages; in fact, the batirol and tsokolatera are supposed to last a lifetime and are often passed down from generation to generation. Keep mixing the hot chocolate with the wooden batirol until the drink is thick enough.
I don’t know whatever happened to my parents’ batirol and tsokolatera, but I never saw it again after college. I’ve been looking for my own batirol for the longest time because the hot tsokolate we serve for noche buena doesn’t taste as earthy and strong as tsokolate whisked using a batirol. The last time I saw a batirol for sale was at Glorietta several years ago; it only cost 900 pesos but I’m not sure why I didn’t jump at the chance to buy it. This year, however, I grabbed at the opportunity to buy my own batirol and tsokolatera.
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