Nowadays, there are better ways to duplicate that freshly made mug of hot chocolate at home than by using a product processed thousands of miles away. Several establishments offer cocoa in a tin, a glass-style milk bottle, or a pouch. Ramp up the flavor by pairing it with a bag of marshmallows or caramel sticks. Here are three versions we like:
Fruition Chocolate Works & Confectionary Shokan
This spot started offering its hot “sipping” chocolate mix in a 12-ounce tin back in 2012. Rather than the typical cocoa powder with cocoa butter removed, local chocolate-maker Bryan Graham — who works directly with beans rather than finished chocolate — leaves in the cocoa butter for a richer, thicker version. Future plans with partner and wife Dahlia include making marshmallows, too. You can buy the hot chocolate at their new retail shop in Woodstock, as well as at nearby locations including blueCashew Pharmacy in Rhinebeck. 845-657-6717; www.tastefruition.com
Hillsdale General Store Hillsdale
This old-fashioned general store seems to sell almost everything — clothing, cookbooks, serving pieces, utensils, kids’ toys, antiques — and mixes for hot chocolate, which comes in cute 16-ounce milk bottles from Burnham & Mills’ Silly Cow Farms. The shop carries only one flavor (Chocolate Chocolate and Marshmallow Swirl), but you can hop online to find others — including a pumpkin spice and a chocolate truffle. 518-325-3310; www.hillsdalegeneralstore.com
Oliver Kita Chocolates Rhinebeck
Take home this chocolatier’s elegant one-pound rice-paper pouch of dark ground chocolate, which you can mix with regular, organic, almond, or soy milk, or even water. 845-876-2665; www.oliverkita.com
Related: Where to Find the Best Chocolate in the Hudson Valley