How to Make Your Own Hot Chocolate Bar
A “hot chocolate bar” is one of my new favorite activities during the winter season. It’s great for the holiday season, an unexpected snow day, or just a fun way to add some warmth to any cold winter night!
The good news is: a hot chocolate bar (or “hot cocoa bar“) is super easy to DIY (“do it yourself”). With just a little bit of preparation in advance, as most of the supplies have a really long shelf life, you can be ready to break out the fun set up at any time you get the calling throughout the season!
It’s completely up to you if you want to just order the supplies and keep them in the closet, or clear a space to more formally create a hot chocolate “bar” or “station” in your household or venue, but either way – it will be sure not to disappoint!
What is a “Hot Chocolate Bar”
A “hot chocolate bar,” or otherwise called a “hot cocoa bar,” is a fun nickname given to a simple concept: a DIY station to build your own cup of hot chocolate. Instead of just making some hot chocolate and calling it a day, you set up potential add-ins and toppings for you and your guests’ hot chocolate; the more, the merrier.
It can really be dressed up or dressed down to any degree you would like. It can be kept simple, dressed up for a party, or even elevated for a fun wedding station! The basics of the hot chocolate bar are all the same either way.
What is Needed for a Hot Chocolate Bar
First and foremost, you will need a source of hot water to make the hot chocolate. If you’re making the bar in a kitchen, this hopefully should be relatively simple. You can boil water in a kettle to have it on hand and ready for multiple cups at a time!
If you’re not in a kitchen, it might get a bit trickier. Electric kettles or countertops might be useful if you need to keep water hot away from your typical heat sources, but this will likely depend on the venue you’re looking to make your bar in.
Once you have the water source covered, the next step is choosing your hot chocolate recipe. The easiest approach here is to purchase some of the pre-made packets. There are several brands that offer hot cocoa packs, so if there is a specific flavor that is nostalgic to you or that you prefer, go for that one! If not, try out a couple different brands and see what you like – or mix up different packs for your guests to choose from on their own!
The other option is to make the hot chocolate from scratch. There are many different recipes out there for hot cocoa, so I again just recommend choosing your favorite for this part!
Next up, you’ll want to make sure you have something safe for everyone to drink their hot chocolate in. This could either be mugs you already have in your home, customized thermoses that you gift to your guests as a keepsake from your event, or festive disposable cups that fit in with the theme or your gathering (snowflakes, Christmas-themed, birthday themed, etc.). If you go the disposable cup route, just be sure to double check they come with heat sleeves to go over top of them so they are not too hot to the touch to hold.
Just a friendly reminder partway through this guide – there is no “right way” to make a hot chocolate bar! Mix and match what works best for you, go as hard or as light as you want with the set up, and most importantly just have fun with it!
Once the base hot chocolate is poured, it’s time to personalize! If the hot chocolate bar is for adults, you could cater to your audience by offering one or two choices of alcohol to spike the cocoa with. A couple recommendations would be peppermint schnapps or liqueurs, or just some rum/whiskey.
For non-alcoholic additions, you could have out some extra milk or chocolate syrup to pour into the cup as well 🙂
Now comes the fun part: toppings!
The toppings are the true heart of the hot chocolate bar, so feel free to go crazy! The goal is to lay out a variety of tasty candies to dazzle your guests and add a bit of fun to the simple activity of enjoying hot chocolate. The more options you have, the better!
Some recommended & popular toppings to add to your shopping list include:
- Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Chips
- Caramel Chips
- Peppermint Dust
- Candy Canes
- Muddy Bites
- Marshmallows
- Sprinkles
- Caramel
Then once everyone has mixed together their creation, you can add in some colorful straws or candy stirring spoons to pull the cup together!
Decorating the Hot Chocolate Bar
If you’ve got the above covered, you can pat yourself on the back for pulling off a successful hot chocolate bar! If you’re looking to add in some special touches & decorations, and have the time to dress it up a bit, some other fun ways to decorate your cocoa bar could be creating a custom sign for the bar and using themed cups & mugs to hold all of your toppings in!
As we mentioned above, there truly is no wrong way to make a hot cocoa bar. Please let us know what your favorite addition to a hot chocolate bar is in the comments below!
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About the Author: Jill is the primary author of Host a STOMP, and has been successfully hosting every Thursday of the month for over a year now! Learn More.
