For The Absolute Best Homemade Chocolate Drinks, You Need To Skip The Shortcuts

The next time you're craving a cup of hot chocolate, treat yourself to a rich and cozy homemade recipe instead of using a packet you bought at the store. Technically, what's in those packets isn't true hot chocolate anyway — it's typically hot cocoa, since they're made with cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate.

To get the lowdown on how to create the absolute best chocolate drinks, we turned to Preston Stewart, director of chocolate (an enviable title) for Onyx Coffee Lab, who is also a certified chocolatier with Ecole Chocolat and a certified cacao grader for the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute (FCCI). Stewart, who has worked in craft chocolate for over a decade, said to skip the mixes and chocolate flavored sauces (like Hershey's syrup), and go for the real thing: actual chocolate. "The fat from genuine chocolate can help thicken the beverage and with a vigorous whisk or milk frother, you can generate a nice froth," he told Tasting Table. For a decadent mug of hot chocolate, you'll want to melt your chocolate separately (which you can do in the microwave), then whisk it into heated milk after your pot comes off the stove.

Stewart also offered delicious advice for finishing off your recipe: "Another tweak to make it seem more gourmet is a pinch of salt and a drop of vanilla extract. And, of course, some homemade vanilla, maple, or bourbon whipped cream would be the chef's kiss to top it off," he suggested.

While hot chocolate is always a comforting choice, you can also use Preston Stewart's advice to upgrade a glass of cold chocolate milk. However, there's an additional step. "Since chocolate won't melt in cold milk, you'll have to melt and dissolve the chocolate in warm milk and then chill it in the fridge, or shake [it and] pour over ice," he said. Essentially, you'll follow the same process that you used to make hot chocolate (including the salt and vanilla), then transfer your beverage to the fridge.

When it comes to choosing your starring ingredient for any chocolate drink, opt for a sweet dark chocolate. "A dark chocolate in the 55% to 65% range should provide a good amount of sweetness and give it an intensity that you can't get from a cocoa powder based drink," Stewart explained. While it may be tempting to pick milk chocolate, since it seems like it would jive with chocolate milk, he added that doing so would result in a milky overload in your drink. Once you've secured your bar, use a high-fat milk and a splash of heavy cream or half and half for the richest treat possible.