# What's the best hot chocolate you've ever had? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 15, 2007, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482 "2007-11-15T03:37:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/21 "2007-11-15T18:01:25Z")
You just can’t make proper chocolate back east. The air’s not right. Just like sourdough bread, it needs the natural airborne leavens found only in the upper half of California. But they do have passable seafood. Except for the oysters. And crabs. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/22 "2007-11-15T18:12:50Z")
I’m pretty sure quite a few Central/South American cultures put spicy peppers in their hot chocolate. They are supposed to be quite complementary to each other, however, I have never tried it. I’ll check the ethnic grocers around here and see what I can find. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/23 "2007-11-15T21:35:27Z")
[QUOTE=Team of Scientists] Related side question: I had an incredible cup of chocolate while visiting said girlfriend in Barcelona a couple years ago. It was very rich and very thick, almost like a hot pudding. I believe it was just called “chocolate” over there, but I’m not sure. Does anybody know what this concoction is, and where I might find it? Is it a European staple, or perhaps specific to Spain, or even Barcelona? Do I have even a remote chance of reproducing this delicious stuff? I’d love to enjoy some this winter. [/QUOTE] It’s probably thickened with cornstarch or arrowroot. No idea what your exact recipe might be, but there are lots of hot chocolate recipes with those ingredients on the web. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/24 "2007-11-15T22:07:18Z")
I like my own, which is made thusly: For 1 mug of hot chocolate 1 scant tablespoon of Scharffenberger’s cocoa 1.5 tablespoons of raw sugar 2 drops of vanilla 2 tablespoons of heavy cream Put the above in a mug while you are heating some milk in the microwave. Using a small bar whisk, whisk the above ingredients vigorously until it is a soft, lump-free paste and even a little bit fluffy. Then whisk in the hot milk. Scrumptious. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/25 "2007-11-15T23:27:32Z")
I was given a can of the [Cowgirl Spicy](http://www.cowgirlchocolates.com/cocoa_treats.shtml) cocoa and it’s a treat. It’s VERY rich and extra yummy with a bit of spiced rum in there. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/26 "2007-11-16T00:46:09Z")
That chocolate in Spain. Madrid. This churros and chocolate chain. Breakfast. Pudding-like. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/27 "2007-11-16T00:59:12Z")
I sure did want a sip of that hot chocolate that Mr. Flanders made for Bart in the Simpson’s Movie. Mmmm, it looked so good. I love all hot chocolate though, even the cheap stuff. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/28 "2007-11-16T01:12:27Z")
[QUOTE=rowrrbazzle] It’s probably thickened with cornstarch or arrowroot. No idea what your exact recipe might be, but there are lots of hot chocolate recipes with those ingredients on the web. [/QUOTE] I’ve had [this](http://www.kraftfoods.com/jello/recipe.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&wf=9&recipe_id=104490) at a friends house, and it was very similar to what I had in a cafe somewhere. They called it “pudding cocoa”, or something like that. It’s been a while. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/29 "2007-11-16T01:20:53Z")
[QUOTE=capybara] That chocolate in Spain. Madrid. This churros and chocolate chain. Breakfast. Pudding-like. Yum. [/QUOTE] Ah, churros and Mexican chocolate. Yum. Churros, like other donuts, are much better when very fresh. Except for those Krispy Kreme things. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/30 "2007-11-16T01:36:58Z")
[Abuelita](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abuelita) ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/31 "2007-11-16T01:49:50Z")
Mayan hot chocolate from [Soma Chocolatemaker](http://www.somachocolate.com/#) in Toronto. Available as a shot (syruplike), or the shot diluted in frothed milk. Spiced with ginger, vanilla, orange peel, chili and other spices. The combination of spice-heat with the dark chocolate flavor was fantastic. I will be forever in the debt of s/he who can help me recreate the recipe. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/32 "2007-11-16T01:51:19Z")
Does the Swiss Miss Instant Cocoa that I snorted dry off a hooker’s rack count? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/33 "2007-11-16T01:54:42Z")
[QUOTE=Darth Nader] [Abuelita](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abuelita) [/QUOTE] Well, this nieto (now an abuelo) loves the stuff. Both with water and with milk. BTW; I’ve never seen churros made at home. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/34 "2007-11-16T01:57:00Z")
This thread is total pron. [Martha Stewart’s Mexican Hot Chocolate](http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=5fd81a55b890f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=hot%20chocolate&rsc=ns2006_m4) I use to have a recipe of hers for Hot Chocolate and a mexican spice ( pepper?) that was really hard to find for a long time and now that I see it regularly, I lost the recipe, which was possibly the one above. It was somewhere between a mild and medium-hot long pepperish thing. If I saw the name, I’d probably remember it. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/35 "2007-11-16T02:01:53Z")
[QUOTE=Scumpup] Does the Swiss Miss Instant Cocoa that I snorted dry off a hooker’s rack count? [/QUOTE] No. From the OP; “So what’s the best cup of hot cocoa you’ve ever _drank_?” Slanty emphasis is mine. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/36 "2007-11-16T02:08:41Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] This thread is total pron. [Martha Stewart’s Mexican Hot Chocolate](http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=5fd81a55b890f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=hot%20chocolate&rsc=ns2006_m4) I use to have a recipe of hers for Hot Chocolate and a mexican spice ( pepper?) that was really hard to find for a long time and now that I see it regularly, I lost the recipe, which was possibly the one above. It was somewhere between a mild and medium-hot long pepperish thing. If I saw the name, I’d probably remember it. [/QUOTE] Pron? Porn? ---
**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/37 "2007-11-16T02:55:23Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] No. From the OP; “So what’s the best cup of hot cocoa you’ve ever _drank_?” Slanty emphasis is mine. [/QUOTE] Disregard that “drank” in the OP. I’m gonna allow snorted hookerchest cocoa. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/38 "2007-11-16T03:08:36Z")
[QUOTE=Team of Scientists] Disregard that “drank” in the OP. I’m gonna allow snorted hookerchest cocoa. [/QUOTE] Too late. The official “edit” time has passed. Anyway, I’m gonna take **Scumpup’s** claim with a grain of salt. I’ll need to see some pictures. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/39 "2007-11-16T03:25:31Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] As for my favorite. I like land’o lakes. [/QUOTE] I love those! The stores where I shop don’t stock exotic items, but Land O’ Lakes is plenty good enough. And it dissolves easily. I mix it in a standard size coffee mug, so one packet is plenty. It was 55 cents, last time I looked, and that was at the higher-priced store. If Fareway stocked it, it’d probably be cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482/40 "2007-11-16T04:09:25Z")
In that case, the best cup I ever had was in a warming hut at the top of a fucking cold ski lift in Breckenridge a few decades ago when I was maybe 10 years old. It was waaaay too cold, I was just a kid, this was a bare chairlift thing where you could freeze to the pole and die 30 feet up if you want to. All the way up to the top of the scary grown-up area, and I made it all the way down that mountain on my newly-rented skis without dying. Twice. There will never be a better one, if you look at it that way. And no innuendo-- k? thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-hot-chocolate-youve-ever-had/426482.md?page=3)