Glace Hot Chocolate Recipe (NYC’s Viral Drink You Can’t Skip)

One thing that many people, even I personally, want to have in the morning is beverages. It can be tea, coffee, or a luxurious Glace Hot Chocolate NYC.

So, there are many types of hot chocolate, but which is the best hot chocolate in NYC to try at home? 

Well! Recently, I tried a French-inspired glace hot chocolate.

To make this NYC-style Glace Hot Chocolate at home, you will just have to melt dark chocolate, heat whole milk until it starts steaming, then whisk both together until they become glossy. 

After that, you will add flavor like vanilla or sea salt, and top it with whipped cream or marshmallows — and you’re rich, creamy, and luxurious drink will be ready 

It’s a luxury twist on a classic drink. I really like the velvety texture of melted chocolate with a hint of sophistication.

In this post, I’ll give you the full step-by-step recipe, plus options to customize the flavor, ingredients, and even pairings — so you can make it your own version, even if you’re vegan or have dietary restrictions.

 

What Makes Glace Hot Chocolate Special?

There are a couple of things that make this French-style, NYC-inspired glace hot chocolate different from other traditional recipes.
The first reason is its chocolate flavor.

Most hot chocolate recipes only rely on cocoa powder, but it’s not the same with this glace hot chocolate drink recipe; you will need a high-quality chocolate to make it.

Another reason is this rich, gourmet hot chocolate, plus it’s too easy to make.

And this drink will have a better texture compared to other traditional recipes.

Lastly, this glace hot chocolate is versatile. You can tweak it to suit your taste buds by making it dark, intense, sweet, or milky.

Also, you can serve it with many different things.

Important Ingredients for the Best Glace Hot Chocolate

One thing that creates the difference between a glace hot chocolate NYC recipe and other traditional hot chocolates in New York City is the ingredients.

Here are all the important Ingredients, such as chocolates, creamy milk, and flavor add-ins, that you need to use to make a smooth, velvety drink.

Chocolate: You wanna get a 70% dark chocolate for a deep, rich, and bittersweet flavor.

You want high-quality chocolate to create a decadent hot chocolate.

For the best glace hot chocolate, I personally recommend brands like Valrhona, Lindt, and Ghirardelli.

Besides this, you can use any of your favorite brands, but these are known for their quality, and I use them too.

Remember, if you use semi-sweet chocolate chips, make sure they contain real cocoa butter (it is important for the silky texture)

Milk: I recommend you use whole milk for thickness and creaminess, but if you want dairy-free hot chocolate, then you can also use oat milk or soy milk. And, coconut milk is also good.

Rich and Indulgent Cream: You should use heavy cream or Half-and-half to enhance the luxurious mouthfeel and make this drink smoother. But for dairy-free reasons, you can skip it.

Sweeteners: First, check the sweetness of your chocolate. If you think it’s less sweet and you want extra sweetness, you can use granulated sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

And if you want a low-carb option, you can also use stevia or monk fruit.

Flavor Enhancers: My favorite options are pure vanilla extract, as it gives warmth and depth, plus cinnamon, sea salt, espresso powder, and orange zest. You can add any of them.

Make sure all of these ingredients that I have mentioned are of high quality for the best result. Even if you use different brands, that’s totally okay (Only quality is important)

Also read: Whataburger Mexican Hot Chocolate Drink 

Step-by-Step Glace hot chocolate nyc recipe

Here is the step-by-step guide to making the famous Glace Hot Chocolate NYC recipe at home:

Step 1: Prep Your Ingredients

First of all you need to do preparation. As I have mentioned many ingredients above, you need to bring them at one place like your kitchen slabs for a very smooth process. 

And then you need to chop chocolate into small pieces as they can melt quickly as compared to melting a whole chocolate without breaking it. 

Plus, you can add flavor enhancers like vanilla or cinnamon. 

That’s the preparation you will need. And now, let’s move on to the next step.

Step 2: Melt the Chocolate

Now, you want to melt those small pieces using any melting method. They are two, a double boiler and a microwave. 

The double boiler method is used in which you place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. 

Meanwhile, you will keep stirring it continuously until it becomes smooth and silky. 

Besides this, you can use the second method, which is the microwave method. 

In this, you will heat your chocolate pieces in 20-second intervals. 

But again you will want to stir it each time to prevent the chocolate from scorching. If you see the chocolate is too thick you can add a tablespoon of milk to loosen it up.

Step 3: Heat the Milk

Now take a different saucepan and pour milk and warm it over medium heat until it is steaming but not boiling. 

If you boil it, it will ruin the taste and the actual effect of creaminess. 

So, you want to stir it occasionally to prevent the skin from forming on the top of the milk.

Step 4: Combine and Whisk

Slowly pour the melted chocolate into warm milk. But meanwhile, you need to keep whisking continuously. 

This is very important for smooth, glossy texture. If you miss it, then you will miss the texture too. 

However, if you want extra cream, then use a hand frother or a blender to blend everything together.

Step 5: Add Flavor Enhancers

After combining everything you want to, whether it is your favorite flavor enhancer like white gel, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, espresso powder, or anything else that I also mentioned above. 

This step is also important if you actually want to have a glace hot chocolate recipe.

Step 6: Serve and Garnish

Finally, your NYC glace hot chocolate is ready.

Now you want to pour it into your favorite mug and top it off with white cream, chocolate shavings, marshmallow, caramel sauce, cocoa powder, or anything that you want to have.

And here you go. Your drink is ready to enjoy. 

 

Pro Tips for the Perfect Glace Hot Chocolate

Here are some pro tips that can take your Glace Hot Chocolate NYC recipe to the next level, making it taste just like the best hot chocolate in New York City cafés.

These tips will ensure extra creamy and extra creamy unique flavors with gourmet touch.

• Achieve the Creamiest Texture: You should use a hand slower or a blender if you want to have a cafe-style hot chocolate ready.
• Experiment with Different Chocolates: Dark chocolate is classic, which I use and recommend, but you can also try white chocolate for sweetness or ruby chocolate for a fruity-style drink. You can even mix multiple chocolates together for a whole new, different experience.

With these tips, your homemade Glace Hot Chocolate will be exactly like a café bought drink.

 

What to Serve with Glace Hot Chocolate

This luxury glace hot chocolate recipe tastes even better when paired with other delicious treats.

Here are some options that work well with this recipe.

• Decadent Desserts: I have eaten chocolate-based desserts like chocolate lava cake, tiramisu, and chocolate truffles, and I really like them, so you can try them, too.
• Warm & Flaky Baked Goods: I recommend eating buttery and flaky treats with it, such as croissants, cinnamon rolls, and chocolate chip cookies, for crunch and softness in every sip.
• Savory Snacks for Contrast: If you want to balance sweetness, you can try salted pretzels, cheese straws, or a charcuterie board with mild cheese. These things are salty, and the drink is a little sweet. So, if you take one bite of any of these things and one sip of the drink, it will taste good.
• Festive Seasonal Treats: If you make this glace hot chocolate recipe during the holidays, I recommend pairing it with gingerbread cookies, peppermint bark, or spiced shortbread.

I also like trying some random biscuits with different types of drinks, including glimmer-hot chocolate, so you can try that, too.

Besides them, you can also serve this hot chocolate with sweet treats like our Chocolate Lava Mug Cake (3 Ingredients) or Chocolate-Covered Dates with Almond Butter for a healthy yet indulgent pairing.

Variations You Can Try with Glace Hot Chocolate

Here are some variations that I want you to try with the hot chocolate recipe. These variations can help you make your recipe dairy-free, spiced, chilled, and even more.

• Vegan Glace Hot Chocolate: You can swap whole milk with oat, almond or coconut milk and use dairy-free dark chocolate.
• Spiced Version for a Cozy Kick: You can add a pinch of chili powder, nutmeg, or cardamom to create a spicy and aromatic flavor—this variation is inspired by traditional Mexican hot chocolate. (Mexican people usually love spicy things).
• Iced Glace Hot Chocolate: If you want to try this variation of glace hot chocolate, especially in the summer season, you need to let the hot chocolate cool down a little bit. Then, you can pour ice over it and blend.
• Kid-Friendly Fun Version: You should use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate. It is more sweet and creamy. Plus, you can top it with colorful sprinkles, mini marshmallows, or a drizzle of caramel.

These variations are very helpful if you want to try this glace hot chocolate recipe year-round. Like, the recipe is hot chocolate but in summer you can add ice and turn it into a summer version.

 

Nutrition Value

This is an approximate nutritional breakdown per serving:

• Calories: 250-300 kcal (depending on ingredients used).
• Fat: 15-20g (mainly from chocolate and cream).
• Carbohydrates: 20-25g (from chocolate and sweeteners).
• Protein: 5-7g (from milk).
• Sugar: 15-20g (adjust based on chocolate and sweeteners).

Note: Your ingredients and quantity will determine the right nutrition values based on substitutions such as almond milk reduces calories while whole milk is calories dense.

 

FAQs About the Glace Hot Chocolate Recipe

These are the common questions that people ask about this drink recipe:

Can I use cocoa powder instead of chocolate bars?

Yes, you can use cocoa powder instead of a chocolate bar, but when you add cocoa powder, it won’t give a velvety richness to your drink. 

On the other hand, glace hot chocolate needs high quality chocolate bars for better texture richness.

However, if you are using cocoa powder, don’t forget to mix butter or cream for the richness of melted chocolate.

How do I store leftover Glace Hot Chocolate?

You will have an airtight container if you want to use glace hot chocolate leftover safe for 2 days. Then, you will keep that container in a refrigerator.

And when you want to drink glace hot chocolate next time, you need to reheat it on the stove top over low heat or in the microwave for a short interval.

And meanwhile, you want to stir it frequently to maintain its creaminess.

What’s the best chocolate brand to use?

Best Chocolate Brands for glace hot chocolate recipes that I like are Valrhona, Lindt, Ghirardelli, Guittard , etc. 

By the way, you can also try other brands that you personally like. You just want to make sure that chocolate needs to be of high quality.

 

Conclusion

This was the Glace Hot Chocolate NYC recipe—not just a drink, but an experience! With its beautiful, velvety texture and rich, indulgent flavor, it rivals the best hot chocolate in NYC.

You can make it dairy-free, vegan, sweet, spicy, cold, hot, etc. 

Plus, you can serve it with too many things to make it a big treat, like snacks, desserts, etc. 

So, now go and grab your favorite mug, and bring all the ingredients that you need to make it in your kitchen, and start making it. And yeah, don’t forget to bookmark this recipe and check others too.