Drinking Chocolate (French Hot Chocolate)

Drinking Chocolate (aka French Hot Chocolate) is rich and smooth with deep chocolate flavor. It literally tastes like you’re drinking a melted chocolate bar! You’re only 8 minutes away from the best hot chocolate of your life.

Thursday is mine and Mike’s 9 year wedding anniversary.

Yup, 9 years, gone by in what basically feels like the blink of an eye.

Here on my blog I usually try to just skim over details of my personal life. This is because I like my blog to be a space where people can come to get inspired, enjoy some eye candy, and maybe learn a bit about food.

Generally, I don’t feel like sharing too much about my personal life (especially the bad stuff) is the direction I want to take things. But I think a 9 year anniversary is a call for a small break from tradition. (But if you want to just scroll down to the recipe, I won’t be mad!)

My husband and I are truly head-over-heels crazy in love for each other. We’re the couple who calls each other every two hours when he’s at work (I work from home so – bonus! – I can talk anytime).

We both sob like babies at the airport any time either of us leaves. And given the choice, in our free time, we still, even after all this time, both choose to spend time with each over the company of anyone else.

But we have our ups and downs like any other couple. We have big blow-out flights complete with crying, hateful words (no one can hurt us like the people we love), accusations, and one or both of us threatening to leave. (And although neither of us has ever left the other, the suitcase has been packed on at least a couple occasions!)

We always cool down though, and because we love each other, when it comes down to it, we’ve been able to surmount literally every obstacle that has come our way.

Why am I sharing this?

I want to give hope to every couple reading this who might be in a situation where they’re wondering how on earth people stay together for 9 years. I know staying together isn’t the right choice in every situation. But if you and your partner love each other and really want to make things work, what has worked for Mike and I time and time again is compromise.

If you both give a little you can meet in the middle. Compromise isn’t about making both people happy. Actually, both people have to relinquish a bit of what they want and so they will probably be a little uncomfortable. However, the end result should be something that both people can agree to and live with.

What I’ve found is that if my husband is taking care of me and I’m taking care of him, we’re both all set.

So here’s to 9 years, darling.

And now for the food. Or drink, to be exact.

Because of the tone we set in our honeymoon, our anniversary always calls for chocolate, and this year I decided on the drinking variety. But not just run-of-the-mill hot chocolate – where’s the fun in that?!

Drinking Chocolate is also called European Hot Chocolate, European Drinking Chocolate, Parisian Hot Chocolate, French Hot Chocolate, and le Chocolat Chaud in French. And it basically tastes like a melted chocolate bar.

Drinking Chocolate incredibly rich and luscious. It’s even more filling and indulgent-feeling than if you were to just eat a bar of chocolate as-is. This is why two ounces of chocolate per serving really is more than enough. My only tip is to use a really great-quality bar of chocolate.

Every time I make Parisian Hot Chocolate (aka Drinking Chocolate), the movie Chocolat comes to mind. If you want to make the Mayan hot chocolate from that movie, use the recipe below and just add a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Or if you’re making a double batch, use a small cinnamon stick and a small dried red chili pepper (seeds removed).

Try this and regular hot chocolate or hot cocoa might become a thing of the past.

Drinking Chocolate (French Hot Chocolate) Recipe

This completely decadent, lusciously rich, and deeply chocolatey Drinking Chocolate is so easy to make! The main ingredients are whole milk + the best bar of chocolate you can find.

The other components are just there to pull out the natural flavor notes of the chocolate.

Parisian Drinking Chocolate Ingredients

• Whole milk
• Good-quality bittersweet chocolate (I like 70% cacao)
• Brown sugar
• Pure vanilla extract
• Instant espresso powder
• Salt

How to Make Drinking Chocolate – How to Make French Hot Chocolate

You won’t believe how easy this recipe is to make! It’s every bit as easy to make as hot cocoa is, and every bit as easy as regular hot chocolate.

And Drinking Chocolate is so much better!

Here’s how to make it:

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan on the stovetop.
2. Whisk in the chocolate, and then the flavorings (such as vanilla).
3. Heat until steaming.
4. Serve, and revel in the blissful fact that you now know how to make the world’s best hot chocolate. ;)

Is it Better to Make Hot Chocolate with Milk or Water?

If you’re going for rich flavor and creamy texture, use milk to make hot chocolate! I use whole milk in this Drinking Chocolate recipe to make it ultra luscious.

What’s the Difference Between Hot Cocoa and Hot Chocolate?

Hot cocoa is typically made with milk, cocoa powder, and sugar. Hot chocolate is usually melted chocolate mixed with water and/or milk.

In terms of flavor, hot cocoa is typically sweeter than hot chocolate, and not as rich as hot chocolate.

What’s the Difference Between Hot Chocolate and Drinking Chocolate?

Richness is the main difference! Technically any old hot chocolate recipe has chocolate melted into it. But Parisian Hot Chocolate is something else entirely.

French Hot Chocolate is richer, thicker, and more velvety than any other hot chocolate I’ve ever had!

Hot Chocolate in Paris

During summer 2019 I had the absolute pleasure of spending over a month in beautiful Paris, France. Staying there that long let me live like a local, and I was able to discover a few of the best places for things like croissants, cheese, and even hot chocolate!

I had my fair share of hot chocolate from different places around the city, but I’m just going to share my favorite two. The two best contenders I found for hot chocolate were Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore, both of which are located on Saint-Germain in the 6^th Arrondissement.

Note that when you see hot chocolate on a menu in France, you can typically order it as-is or with a side of whipped cream, which is known as Chocolat Viennois.

Pro Tip: Go for the whipped cream and order Chocolate Viennois!

Le Chocolat Chaud at Les Deux Magots

This was the second best chocolat chaud I had in Paris! It was creamy and rich with a nice sweetness level. I would order drinking chocolate at Les Deux Magots again in a heartbeat! 

Le Chocolat Chaud at Café de Flore

I always save the best for last, and Café de Flore decidedly had the best chocolat chaud I had in Paris! It was similar to the drinking chocolate at Les Deux Magots in flavor, but it was slightly richer and a bit thicker.

Half a portion was the perfect serving because of its richness, so with with a friend or a date and share it!

If You Want More Paris Tips + Tricks: Check out my article on French Pastries, were I give all kinds of insider tips!

More Decadent Chocolate Recipes That Serve Two:

• Mint Medley Chocolate Pots de Crème
• Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
• Yellow Cake Cupcakes with Fudgy Buttercream
• Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake
• Fudgy Dark Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches with Raspberry Buttercream

Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith

Drinking Chocolate (French Hot Chocolate)

Drinking Chocolate (aka French Hot Chocolate) is rich and smooth with deep chocolate flavor. It literally tastes like you’re drinking a melted chocolate bar! You’re only 8 minutes away from the best hot chocolate of your life.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 393kcal

Author: Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 4 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar lightly packed (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon instant espresso powder dissolved in 1/2 teaspoon hot water
• 1 small pinch salt

Instructions

• Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
• Whisk in the chocolate until smooth and creamy, then add the vanilla, dissolved espresso powder, and salt.
• Return to the heat and cook until steaming again.
• Serve.

Helpful Tips

• To make it more sweet, add 1 teaspoon brown sugar. To make it less sweet, omit the brown sugar OR add 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder.
• The point isn’t to taste coffee in this drink, and with this amount of espresso powder, you won’t. The tiny bit of espresso flavor (like the little bit of vanilla and salt in this recipe) just pull out and accentuate the flavor of the chocolate.

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 442mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 4mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @anediblemosaic or tag #anediblemosaic!

This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on May 12, 2014. It was updated with more information on March 12, 2020.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!