The secret to the perfect hot chocolate – plus five of Sydney’s best

With temperatures dipping into the single digits lately there’s no better time for warming cups of dark, velvety hot chocolate.

In NSW and Victoria, two hot chocolates have captured the attention of the social media majority: the deliciously thick chocolat chaud at Manon Brasserie in Sydney, and the caramel-flavoured hot chocolate at Pidapipo Laboratorio in Melbourne.

After Manon’s hot chocolate soared to social media stardom last October, it became so popular the kitchen had to invest in new equipment and processes to manage the demand. Even now, some eight months later, the restaurant sells close to 100 litres of hot chocolate each week.

“We were all super shocked,” says group executive chef Rob Crichton of the response.

“I think it became so popular because of how different and rich the chocolate is. We use the highest grade [Valrhona] chocolate, which is the chocolate of choice for patissiers and chocolate-makers.”

To make Manon’s chocolat chaud, Crichton heats a 50:50 mixture of pure cream and full-fat milk in a saucepan with a pinch of brown (turbinado) sugar. Once it reaches a simmer, he removes it from the heat and blends in the chocolate with an electric stick mixer.

It’s poured tableside, alongside a dish of whipped cream, for a theatrical touch.

Crichton says the secret to recreating his French-style hot chocolate at home is using high-quality dark chocolate, with 60 to 70 per cent cocoa.

“Don’t use milk chocolate because you’re going to be adding milk and cream anyway,” he says.

“And be careful to only reheat it at a very low temperature, otherwise it will burn.”

The hot chocolate at Pidapipo Laboratorio is a comparatively newer find, with its eye-catching gooey snowball of marshmallows and fior di latte ice-cream.

“Compared to a normal hot chocolate, it’s slightly thicker and it doesn’t have that sweet, milky flavour,” says head of production Nicola Totaro, the brains behind the viral winter beverage.

“It’s actually quite a complex flavour, due to the caramel and the darkness of the chocolate, and as soon as your palate requires a different flavour you’re hit with the softness of the marshmallow, the coldness of the gelato and the crunch from the hazelnut.”

Pidapipo’s recipe uses Victorian-produced Sungold jersey milk (chosen for its creamier texture), dark chocolate with 55 per cent cocoa, pure cream and house-made caramel.

Small white marshmallows are then folded into the house-made fior di latte gelato before being dropped into the hot cup.

“I wanted to create something you can’t find anywhere else,” Totaro says. “It’s more like a dessert than just a sweet drink.”

For those attempting to make a similar drink at home, Totaro also advises using the highest-quality dark chocolate you can find (and steering clear of premade chocolate powder).

He recommends heating the milk and cream mixture – “in the microwave is fine!” – before pouring it over the chocolate and stirring it in with a spoon. The ideal ratio of milk and cream to chocolate is around 70:30.

“If you want to take it to the next level you can make your own caramel, otherwise a spoonful of dark brown sugar will work,” Totaro says.

Five of Sydney’s best hot chocolates

Hyggelig Fresh Cacao

This passionate Sydney chocolatier transforms sustainably sourced, single-origin cacao beans into decadent drinking chocolate. With deep flavours reflective of each bean’s origin, this is a hot chocolate unlike any you’ve tasted before. It’s currently available at Sammy Junior and Pier One in the CBD.

hyggelig.com.au

Manon

The rich, French-style chocolat chaud at Manon could be Sydney’s most popular hot chocolate. Slide into a leather booth by the window of this handsome CBD brasserie to try it for yourself.

manonbrasserie.com.au

Adora Handmade Chocolates

Hot chocolate on tap? Yes, please. Each day, Adora stores across Sydney pour a unique blend of dark chocolate with a hint of coffee and hazelnut, creating a smooth and special hot chocolate that will stay with you long after the cup has been emptied. And it’s easy to recreate at home with their range of dippable hot-chocolate sticks.

adora.com.au

Black Star Pastry

Newtown’s cult cake shop – with outposts in the CBD, Rosebery and Moore Park – has turned one of its most popular creations, the Chocolate Mirage cake, into liquid form to create a smooth butterscotch-flavoured hot chocolate unlike any you’ve sipped before. The secret? Rooibos tea mixed with caramel and hazelnut syrup and signature chocolate powder, swirled into hazelnut milk and dusted with chocolate and gold to resemble the garnish of the cake. File under ‘fancy’.

blackstarpastry.com

Maiz

The team at Maiz import hard-to-find organic cacao from Chiapas and Tabasco to create a traditional Mexican hot cocoa. That means no milk – indigenous cultures did not have cow’s milk until the Spanish conquistadors invaded in 1519. It’s a must-try for those who enjoy earthy, strong and bitter flavours.

instagram.com/maizstreetfood