10 Genius Hacks For Restaurant-Quality Hot Chocolate

There are few drinks that can bring joy and warmth to even the coldest of winter days quite like a piping hot mug of hot chocolate. This creamy concoction of drinkable chocolate is a universally loved beverage. For this reason, powdery store-bought mixes can be purchased at almost any grocery store. While some of these mixes are extremely great, there's just something that restaurants do to make hot chocolate that elevates it into the stratosphere and keeps us coming back for more.

In search of a better cup of hot chocolate, we reached out to as many chocolatiers as we could find to see if we could discover some secret hacks to making better quality cups of cocoa at home. From coast to coast, chefs told us their genius hacks for getting that restaurant-quality hot chocolate without having to step foot outside your door. Read on to level-up your cocoa game.

It may go without saying, but a higher quality cocoa will result in a better hot chocolate. Depending on the restaurant or chef, the hot chocolate can be made with either chocolate bars or cocoa powder. Mr. Chocolate himself, Jacques Torres, is known for some of the best hot chocolate in the world. When we spoke to him in a recent interview, he stated that he uses chocolate that's "between 60% and 72%, and [he prefers] South American chocolate such as Venezuelan chocolate." This type of chocolate has plenty of fruity, nutty notes that come through even after being mixed with milk or cream.

Angelina, the world-famous chocolate house based in Paris, also uses a specialty chocolate for its drinks. The website states that the restaurant uses a "signature blend of bespoke African Cocoa from Niger, Ghana, and Ivory Coast." Even if you can't travel south of the equator, it's worth it to use imported chocolate or cocoa to instantly upgrade your hot chocolate.

It may seem like swapping milk for richer cream might be a great way to enhance hot chocolate, but you would be wrong. Even though basic hot chocolate mixes call for making the drink with plain milk, we found that many restaurants also choose to make hot chocolate with this simple dairy item. Jacques Torres serves hot chocolate made this way, and Pasta Sisters in Los Angeles also whips up Italian hot chocolate with milk.

Whole milk is richer than skim or 2%, so opt for that to start your path to the world's best cup of cocoa. That's the kind that was used to make some of the earliest versions of hot chocolate sold in America, at Rumpelmayer's in the St. Moritz hotel. That being said, if you really want to taste the chocolate, you could always make the drink with plain old water, as Maribel Lieberman of Mariebelle in SoHo does.

If your idea of hot chocolate is to stir a packet of powder into a microwaved mug of water, this might not be the tip for you. But for serious gourmands who want the best possible hot chocolate drinking experience, the order of operations is crucial. "The mistake is to heat the chocolate first. The water it contains evaporates and the chocolate becomes dry," says Frédéric Tabey of Les Deux Magots. This trick makes sense, as the liquid in the milk can also help to act as a buffer between the chocolate and the heat so burning is less likely.

Start by bringing your milk to a gentle simmer, then gradually add your chocolate while whisking over a low heat. As Jacques Torres told us when we asked for his method, "there is no need to temper the chocolate ... boil it and stir it with a whisk which will prevent the milk solids and chocolate from burning. Bringing hot chocolate to a boil always gives it a more velvety consistency."

If you're looking to make a hot chocolate that borders on a rich chocolate pudding, take a tip from Daily Provisions in New York City and use chocolate ganache in the base. According to an Instagram post from the Manhattan eatery, the secret to the restaurant's over-the-top hot chocolate is to make it with ganache. This technique creates a rich, velvety texture that transforms a simple cup of cocoa into a decadent dessert-like experience.

To recreate this at home, melt high-quality chocolate with hot heavy cream to make the ganache, then whisk it into warm milk to your desired consistency. Sweeten to taste and add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors. The result is a luxuriously thick and creamy beverage that feels indulgent with every sip. If you find yourself with leftover ganache, save it to make truffles or top a simple store-bought boxed cake mix.

Believe it or not, but the way that you blend the cocoa powder or chocolate into the milk can have a huge impact on the final texture of the drink. Take a page from Masienda, which crafted a mix for making champurrado easily at home. Champurrado is a Mexican version of hot chocolate that uses masa harina to thicken the drink. It's traditionally made with a special wooden mixing tool known as a molinillo. According to the recipe developers at Masienda, the molinillo is used to "emulsify and add froth to the champurrado, but a metal whisk works just fine. Be sure to whisk until both the chocolate and the masa harina are completely dissolved, and the mixture looks thick and shiny."

The team at Pasta Sisters shares the Los Angeles hotspot's more Italian approach to mixing. "Hot chocolate must be stirred from beginning to end (like risotto) at low heat ... to ensure smoothness," says Giorgia Sinatra, one of the sisters behind Pasta Sisters. "The most critical moment is when the chocolate starts boiling because this is when the thickening process really begins."

If we know anything about restaurant cooking, it's that chefs love to use a secret ingredient. "Italian hot chocolate is quite different from the American one; it's dense, almost like a pudding. It's denser in consistency because we add a little bit of starch," explains Giorgia Sinatra. While Sinatra wouldn't disclose the exact starch used, we don't find it that surprising. That's the secret to the luxurious mouthfeel of champurrado as well. When the masa harina in that drink comes to a simmer, the starch thickens the drink.

If you want to incorporate this hack to your homemade hot chocolate, start by whisking 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour, cornstarch, or masa harina into the simmering milk mixture. If you want to avoid lumps, mix the starch with 1 or 2 tablespoons of the milk in a separate bowl and then gradually add more liquid. Once the liquid is fully incorporated, add it to the main pot and simmer until thickened.

If you've perfected the texture of your hot chocolate but still find that it's missing that little something extra, a few restaurant chefs might have the answer for you. Many establishments opt to add a pinch of spices, like ground cinnamon or nutmeg, to give their beverages a special flavor. After all, hot chocolate has been enjoyed with a pinch of spice since the drink was first invented by the Aztecs pre-colonization and the flavors of cacao can be teased out by warm spices. Mariebelle offers a "spicy" flavor of hot chocolate that contains ancho and chipotle peppers, along with cinnamon and nutmeg. Jacques Torres also offers a "wicked" flavor, made with ancho and chipotle chiles as well.

Whether you prefer a subtle warmth or an intense kick, spices can elevate hot chocolate to a whole new level. Try experimenting with spices like cardamom, star anise, or even a hint of clove for a unique twist.

During our research we came across a few restaurants that use nuts to enhance the flavor and texture of hot chocolate. Chocolate and nuts are natural friends (just ask a lover of Nutella). Venchi in New York City uses a swathe of Nutella and a handful of crushed hazelnuts to make a decadent cup of hot chocolate. Max Brenner serves a peanut butter hot chocolate that gets rave reviews from citizens of the metropolis every winter, as does Martha's Country Bakery.

For a rich version of this trick, mix a couple tablespoons of nut butter into the simmering milk before adding the chocolate. If you want to go for a more subtle approach, try simply making your hot chocolate with a nut milk like almond or cashew. Both of these options are readily available and would make a great cup that also happens to be plant-based.

There's more to the perfect hot chocolate than just the base drink. How you top it has a lot to do with the consistency of the finished beverage. Many chefs across the world choose to add a dollop of classic whipped cream. The chefs at Pasta Sisters make it "the traditional Italian way with unsweetened homemade whipped cream (because the chocolate is already sweet)." Over in New York, Jacques Torres tops it the same way, claiming that "unsweetened whipped cream is the ideal, indulgent accompaniment."

Chantilly cream, whipped cream's slightly sweetened cousin, works just as well. Try infusing your cream with a touch of vanilla bean or a pinch of cinnamon before whipping to elevate the recipe even further. Of course, you can always opt to skip a few steps and just pick up a can of ready-made whip for topping your hot chocolate.

Don't stop at just whipped cream. While dairy whipped to a froth is a very typical topping for hot chocolate, there is so much more you can reach for. Think like Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery, in New York City, which tops its hot chocolate with a giant homemade vanilla marshmallow cube. Marshmallow is a magical blend of sugar and gelatin, which is what allows it to melt into the drink to create a texture that sticks to your lips and the inside of your mouth. Marshmallow also has the added benefit of being dairy-free, if you're trying to make a lactose-free version.

Need something a bit more creative? Give the marshmallow a quick toast with a blowtorch to caramelize the sugars and add a smoky taste to the drink. Grate a bar of chocolate over the top of your whipped cream or give it a dusting of cocoa powder to give it a tiramisu-like vibe.