'Tis The Season For Hot Chocolate In Boston: MA Cheap Eats
MASSACHUSETTS — As the weather cools and the fall and winter holidays creep closer on the calendar, the urge to have something warm in your cup intensifies.
In the Boston area, that craving can be met with a few holiday popups or new business openings for a sweeter beverage: hot chocolate.
One location to get some hot chocolate into your cup is Boston’s Ritz-Carlton.
Find out what's happening in Across Massachusettswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Avery Bar at The Ritz-Carlton is bringing back its tableside hot chocolate service, which officials call Avery Bar Chocolat. The location allows guests to sit next to a marble fireplace and pick from a selection of sweets and pastries alongside their cup of hot chocolate.
Guests can order their cocoa tableside and choose from a selection of toppings curated by Ritz-Carlton, Boston Pastry Chef Christoper Goluszka. Accompaniments this season include egg nog choux pastry puff, black forest tart, white chocolate candy cane torte, vanilla marshmallow and caramel whipped cream.
Click Here: South Korea soccer tracksuit
Find out what's happening in Across Massachusettswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
So what makes the hot chocolate at Avery Bar special?
“Our perfect cup of hot cocoa is a blend of milk and dark chocolate,” said Goluszka. “For milk chocolate, we use Maracaibo Créole, made with cream powder, that impresses with its creaminess and delicate cream-caramel notes. For dark chocolate, Maracaibo Clasificado with coffee, plum, orange blossom and cinnamon aromas is used. The gentle blending process beautifully unfolds a well-balanced cup of hot cocoa that will warm you any chilly day this winter.”
Opening day for the winter 2024 debut is scheduled for Nov. 30 and is set to continue through the holiday season.
An existing chocolate and coffee shop is expanding to a third location in Boston’s Financial District, with a focus this holiday season on hot chocolate.
Chocolatiers Perla Rosario and Leo Baez, owners of Cacao chocolate shop and cafe in Newton and the South End, will expand to a “charmingly retro” space 64 Broad St. For Rosario, getting into this building provides a particularly personal achievement.
“My mom did janitorial work in this very building for over 20 years,” Rosario said. “So for me it’s definitely a full circle moment.”
Cacao offers a number of treats ranging from an assortment of pastries, a variety of sandwiches, and convenient hot chocolate and coffee boxes.
The hot chocolate has a reputation as one of the best in the city, with a cup made with 53 percent dark chocolate and infused with warm spices. Cacao has several riffs on classic hot chocolate including extra dark (a bittersweet, deep hot chocolate), spicy (with cayenne pepper) dulce de leche (featuring a rich caramel base), and fleur de sel (with French sea salt). They also serve iced hot chocolate and frozen peanut butter hot chocolate.
Cacao partners with Pain D’Avignon, based in Hyannis, Mass., for the croissant options at their locations.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.