10 Alternatives To Boring Hot Chocolate Slideshow

With locations in New York, Boston, Cambridge, Mass., and Walpole, Mass., this delectable chocolate shop interprets the classic cup of cocoa as an international experience, bringing the exotic tastes of many countries to their decadent hot chocolates. They offer Grenadian, Venezuelan, Dominican, Bolivian, Madagascan, and Ecuadorian varieties, using cocoa beans from around the world to give distinction to their single-source cocoa recipe. Try their classic hot chocolate at home, and experiment with beans of different origins to achieve the global tastes for which L.A. Burdick is famous.

Click here for the Classic Hot Chocolate From L.A. Burdick.

No one knows indulgences like Finale. This Boston-based desserterie and bakery embraces the full experience of hot chocolate by experimenting with the best, classic flavors to bring customers the ultimate tastes of hot chocolate. Whether you try their hazelnut, white, or dark hot chocolate, you'll instantly love their interpretations of age-old hot chocolate recipes. But our favorite? Their saucy Chocolate Lush, which makes hot chocolate seem a bit more grown-up. Combining milk, hot chocolate, Baileys, butterscotch schnapps, and Valrhona chocolate, this drink gives cocoa unexpected maturity. With this beverage, hot chocolate is no longer restricted to a quiet night in.

Click here for the Chocolate Lush recipe from Finale.

Click here for the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate recipe from Finale.

Click here for the White Hot Chocolate recipe from Finale.

 Click here for the Dark Hot Chocolate recipe from Finale.

Their pastries are featured in magazines from Southern Living to Us Weekly, the shop's executive pastry chef, Tariq Hanna, was named one of the top 10 in America, Oprah raves about their macarons... and we can't help but be addicted to their delicious hot chocolate. Their packaged varieties of drinking chocolates — Extra Dark and Peppermint Stick — rise above the average powdered mix, tasting café-prepared in a matter of minutes by adding hot milk and marshmallows. Our real obsession, though, is their in-shop-only White Chocolate Lavender drink. Made with warm milk, white chocolate, and blue lavender, this therapeutic beverage is sweet but light, making every winter day feel as calm as it should. Try this drink on your own with chef Hanna's exclusive recipe.

Click here for the White Chocolate Lavender recipe from Sucré.

Hot cocoa and skiing: you can't have one without the other. With this in mind, executive pastry chef Danielle Riesz of five-star ski resort The Little Nell in Aspen, Colo., created a classic cocoa recipe that is sure to warm anyone up after a long day in the snow. Using Trudelia chocolate, cocoa powder, half-and-half, granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt, Riesz crafts an irresistible cocoa that is as idyllic and delightful as the snowy slopes of Aspen. It has all the joys of skiing on a brisk winter day — without any of the challenge!

Click here for the Hot Cocoa recipe from The Little Nell.

Located internationally and in Boston, New York, Las Vegas, and Philadelphia, Max Brenner knows how to serve up a great cup of hot chocolate. Whipping together thick, homemade vanilla cream, chopped chocolate chunks, and boiled milk, this hot cocoa requires a drinker who can endure extreme richness. But if you're up to it, this decadent cup of cocoa is more than worth the risk of a stomachache. Their special touch? Dishing up the drink in a hug mug, their trademark cup that perfectly complements the drinking experience.

Click here for the Hot Chocolate recipe from Max Brenner.

In quaint downtown Denver, we found a spicy cup of cocoa sure to wake you up in the sleepiest of mornings. This shop, a small, family-owned business in the heart of Larimer Street, kicks their cocoa up a notch by using sweet ground cocoa, cinnamon, and cayenne to create their Caliente Cocoa. Use as much or as little of the cayenne as you want to give your cocoa a burst of flavor — but do it at your own risk!

Click here for the Caliente Cocoa recipe from The Market at Larimer Square. 

The best hot chocolate in Atlanta comes from Cacao, a small chocolate shop that boasts one of the best do-it-yourself cocoa mixes. Named "sipping chocolates" for their rich texture that is reminiscent of European style drinking chocolates, Cacao has cultivated a beverage that is both simplistic and luxurious. Their popular Azteca Aphrodisiac Sipping Chocolate is a delectably rich dark chocolate mix with six different chilies and spices to transform the drinking experience. Make it at home with your own mix, or stop by their shop in Atlanta to try it firsthand. 

Click here for the Azteca Aphrodisiac Sipping Chocolate recipe from Cacao.