FIKA, 28 Kensington, 416-994-7669, fika.ca, @FikaKensington
This little café that looks like a Scandinavian design store sells delicious pastries made at the kitchens of Splendido (chef Victor Barry co-owns the place with his wife, Nikki Leigh Mckean). Try the lavender white hot chocolate ($4), a creamy beverage sweetened with a hint of vanilla and lavender bitters that’ll get you into hibernation mode.
SOMA CHOCOLATEMAKER, 32 Tank House, 416-815-7662 443 King West, 416-599-7662, somachocolate.com, @SomaChocolate
The local king of chocolate making devises a more grown-up version of the winter drink: the bittersweet dark chocolate is spiced with a combination of chilies, orange peel and ginger to make a Mayan-inspired brew. Available as a condensed shot ($3.33) or a more sip-able version ($3.99) mixed with milk or hot water. (Choose milk – always.)
ODILE CHOCOLAT, 829 Dundas West, 416-538-1016, odilechocolat.com, @OdileChocolat
This little truffle boutique offers two unusual hot chocolate flavours in addition to the more traditional chocolate-vanilla mix ($15 per tin). The Bollywood has a punch of cardamom, while the Caribbean includes cayenne, cinnamon and cloves. Both offer a wallop of spice when simmered with milk, so they’re best served in small shots after a meal (perhaps mixed with a bit of rum) rather than in large mugs.
CHOCOSOL TRADERS, 1131 St. Clair West, 416-923-6675, chocosoltraders.com, @ChocoSolTraders
The drinking chocolate (they don’t call it hot chocolate) comes in solid pucks rather than powdered format. Rather than simmering it over the stove, it’s best to mix the chocolate with hot water in a blender, creating a frothy, richly bitter brew more akin to the traditional ancient Mayan drink than the Christmastime sugary, milky concoction. It’s available at various independent grocers and food shops across the city ($9.95), as well as in a boozed-up version at the County General ($9.50, 936 Queen West, 416-531-4447, thecountygeneral.ca).
