How To Make The Perfect Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate season is approaching! It’s time to wrap up and get cosy, and what better than with a steaming mug of creamy hot chocolate on a chilly January evening.

Hunter 486 restaurant, located within five-star boutique hotel The Arch London, makes a mean hot chocolate. So Gary Durrant, Head Chef at Hunter 486, has shared his top tips on how you can instantly upgrade your hot chocolate game this winter.

Ditch the kettle

Replacing boiling water with hot whole milk is a better alternative. A splash of single cream at the end can give it an even creamier and smoother finish.

Use good quality chocolate

Use grated real chocolate (I recommend 70% cocoa solids) instead of powder to give it a more intense flavour. You will need to add sugar to taste to balance out the bitterness of the chocolate.

Don’t add it all at once

Mix the grated chocolate with a small amount of milk to create a paste. If you gradually add the rest of the milk to the paste while simultaneously stirring you will find the hot chocolate is a lot smoother.

Spice things up

When it comes to spices, a winter favourite is cinnamon. However you can always mix things up by adding cardamom and orange instead.

Add a tipple

The addition of spirits and liquors can turn it into an adult guilty pleasure. Baileys, Disaronno and Cointreau all work well in a hot chocolate.

Emily Cleary

After almost a decade chasing ambulances, and celebrities, for Fleet Street's finest, Emily has taken it down a gear and settled for a (slightly!) slower pace of life in the suburbs. With a love of cheese and fine wine, Emily is more likely to be found chasing her toddlers round Kew Gardens than sipping champagne at a showbiz launch nowadays, or grabbing an hour out of her hectic freelancer's life to chill out in a spa while hubby holds the babies. If only!

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