Chocolate lovers, this one’s for you. MET Back Bay on Dartmouth Street has rolled out its “Boston Hot Chocolate Experience” for another season. The experience consists of a flight of four different flavors of hot chocolate served in miniature glasses, all topped with fluffy whipped cream.
“It’s a very popular thing,” said Justin Winters, Culinary Director at MET Back Bay. “We do it all day long.” The Hot Chocolate Experience starts at 10 am each day, and Winter said it’s hugely popular on the weekends. He said they have some people who come in solely for the hot chocolate, but a lot of people have been ordering it before or after lunch or brunch, or for dessert after dinner. He said over this past weekend, he made 20 flights himself in just a half hour.
Winters curated the four flavors himself this year. “Obviously, the classic’s the classic,” he said. The classic hot chocolate is an iconic crowd pleaser, and consists of a creamy vanilla chocolate topped with whipped cream and mini marshmallows.
The dulce de leche hot chocolate has a sweet, milky flavor and is topped with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and a crunchy, fresh-from-the-fryer churro.
The spiced Mexican hot chocolate is a break from the sweetness of the dulce de leche, with Mexican chocolate, chili, and topped with a fresh cinnamon stick.
Finally, the peppermint hot chocolate is the classic combo of mint and chocolate, topped with whipped cream and a mini candy cane, because, as Winters said, “Who doesn’t want a peppermint hot chocolate?”
All four of these flavors are also available spiked with alcohol that individually complements each hot chocolate flavor, such as Bailey’s, Galliano Ristretto, Caramel Vodka, and Peppermint Liqeuer. Guests can also choose to get the flight of four flavors, or one individual flavor to sip on.
“I just figured what I would want to drink,” Winters said of coming up with the flavors. “Nothing better on a cold day than coming in and drinking four, delicious hot chocolates, especially with a little booze in them to make you feel nice and warm before you go back out on your shopping adventures,” he said.
Winters said that these decadent drinks pair well with the MET’s warm chocolate chip cookies, as well as their dark chocolate cake or a cool, creamy caramel gelato. Though they can be enjoyed as a dessert after a meal, he does not recommend directly pairing them with savory food.
The Boston Hot Chocolate Experience is available at the MET Back Bay, 279 Dartmouth St, until Feb. 14.
“It’s something to bring people in,” Winters said. “Once it starts getting cold, you think of what’s comforting for you, and hot chocolate is one of those things.”