With the onset of 30 degree weather and snow flurries, I spent one chilly New York City week on a hot chocolate crawl. Beanie on and puffer jacket zipped up, I embarked on my journey in search of some unique iterations of the quintessential holiday drink. From stunning presentations to novel flavors, here are five notable hot chocolates around the city to warm your days.
Maman’s Lavender Hot Chocolate
67 University Place | $5 / $5.75
A quaint French cafe just over four blocks from Washington Square Park, Maman has an elegant take on the classic holiday drink. Its lavender hot chocolate is creamy and smooth, enhanced by a warm aroma from the cocoa powder garnish.
Though the lavender flavor is quite subtle, it’s slightly more prominent in smell than in taste, lending a mild herbaceousness to the drink. The lavender hot chocolate is best paired with a fresh pastry, such as the pistachio chocolate croissant filled with fragrant white chocolate pistachio ganache and dark chocolate morsels. Don’t forget to show your NYU ID for a 15% student discount.
Dominique Ansel Bakery’s Blossoming Hot Chocolate
189 Spring St. | $8.50
The cost is steep, but the Blossoming Hot Chocolate from pastry chef and Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel is a photo-worthy spectacle. Served at a piping hot temperature, the hot chocolate features a beautiful marshmallow flower held in a white chocolate bonbon gently placed inside. As the bonbon melts, the flower blooms, floating at the surface of the drink — an innovative take on beverage art.
Aside from its performative nature, the hot chocolate has a pleasantly complex flavor. Rather impressively, the beverage was not too sweet, offering nutty, slightly bitter chocolate notes and a thick, velvety texture. With snowflake decorations and a gorgeous display of French pastries, Dominique Ansel Bakery is a must-visit for the season.
Max Brenner’s The Original Chocolate
841 Broadway | $6
Guests at the Union Square Max Brenner location are welcomed into a busy wonderland of holiday decorations, chocolate boxes — which make a perfect last-minute gift, by the way — and a family-friendly atmosphere. Served in the shop’s signature teardrop-shaped Hug Mug, Max Brenner’s original hot chocolate was frothy, though a bit too sweet.
While certainly iconic, the drink was not well mixed. Most of the melted chocolate sank to the bottom of the mug, creating a disproportionate amount of syrupy sweetness in the last few sips. In addition to the original hot chocolate, Max Brenner sells nine additional flavors, including a seasonal peppermint variety — a testament to the “chocolate is good for you!” motto displayed on one of the restaurant’s walls.
L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates’ Spicy Dark Hot Chocolate
156 Prince St. | $7 / $8.50
This small SoHo chocolatier specializes in dark chocolate products, offering picturesque chocolate pastries and bonbon gift boxes. Wooden accents and icicle lights hanging from the ceiling set the holiday mood for L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates’ spicy dark hot chocolate.
This was the creamiest beverage of the week, delectably frothy and deep brown in color. The quality of the chocolate itself lent just the right amount of sweetness to the drink, accompanied by a comforting warmth and light kick from the chili pepper flavor.
Blue Stripes Cacao Shop’s Wild Hot Chocolate
28 E. 13th St. | $6.50
Despite having the same founder as Max Brenner, Blue Stripes Cacao Shop seems to be its contender. Its Wild Hot Chocolate is less of a holiday drink and more of a “cacao superfood beverage,” as its menu states. Supplemented by condensed milk or coconut milk, the Wild Hot Chocolate is not a sweet beverage. Its aroma is similar to that of a typical hot chocolate, but the base of the drink is 100% unprocessed cacao.
It has a thin consistency and natural chocolate flavor, but does not intend to achieve a standard level of sweetness — a pertinent reminder of the opportunity for uniqueness within the realm of hot chocolate. Nevertheless, Blue Stripes also sells four types of regular hot chocolate — 70% dark, milk, white and nutella — each with an optional addition of spice or sea salt. Also noteworthy are the shop’s Chocolate Clouds, a frothy, mousse-like dessert beverage.
Contact Lauren Ng at [email protected].
