Why You Should Be Drinking Cold (Even Frozen) Hot Cocoa

Are you like us? Do you love hot chocolate all year long, but you passed out the last time you tried to drink a piping cup of cocoa in August? It’s actually not uncommon to crave hot chocolate throughout the year. There’s something different about the “hot cocoa” flavor, something that makes curling up with a steaming (or frosty) mug of it feel extra comforting and extra special. 

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And, thank goodness, there is such a thing as cold hot cocoa. Yes, it sounds like the password to get into an after hours club in the North Pole. But it’s a thing. And it’s delicious. So let’s explore just what makes it “cold” hot cocoa, how you can make it at home, and then we can all decide what PJs we’re gonna put on. (Because proper cocoa consumption demands comfiness.) 

Cold Hot Cocoa vs Cold Hot Chocolate

Fun fact: as delicious as they both are, hot chocolate and hot cocoa are not the same thing. Much more fun fact, the difference is explained in the names: hot “chocolate” is so-called because it’s made by melting chocolate into water or milk, whereas hot “cocoa” is made by combining cocoa with sugar and (usually) some form of milk and/or hot water. To make cold hot chocolate, really all you need to do is melt chocolate into your choice of milk, milk alternative, or water, chill that mixture, and pour it over ice. 

Cold, or frozen, hot cocoa, on the other hand, is a bit more of an elusive, nostalgic flavor profile. Lucky for those of us craving all-things-nostalgic, the formula isn’t hard to break down. Store-bought hot cocoa mix contains the unsung, unsexy hero of it all: powdered milk (plus all those fun stabilizers, etc.). As processed and un-Whole Foods as it might seem, powdered milk―along with the added sugar―is what gives hot cocoa that distinctly softer, creamier, cozier flavor profile. All you need to do is add some marshmallows and forget that email inboxes and work chat platforms were ever invented. 

When Did Hot Cocoa Go Cold?

Cold hot cocoa sort of became a “thing” thanks to the mega popularity of the “Frrrozen Hot Chocolate” at NYC’s iconically quaint Serendipity3. They now have an exquisite menu of flavors (Peanut Butter, S’mores, Salted Caramel), but the original “Frrrozen” hot chocolate, originally concocted in 1954, contains no fewer than 14 cocoas and, as you can imagine, ends up looking about as magical as can be.

Now that we’re all craving a thick, chilly glass or mug or soup bowl of cold hot chocolate, some good news: there are a few ways to get it. Some cafes actually have it on the menu this time of year (with brands like Ghirardelli supplying Frozen Hot Cocoa mix). You can also buy at home frozen hot cocoa mixes that usually require just a few add-ons, or you can go fully DIY.

Most at-home recipes suggest combining cocoa powder, sugar, and milk powder for that Swiss Miss-y/snow day bliss-y true “hot cocoa” vibe. Speaking of, the easiest option: you can always just buy (the best) packet hot cocoa mix and experiment a bit with ice, milk or a milk alternative, and any add-ons, like whipped cream, crushed candy canes, Peppermint schnapps, etc. Pretty much anything you decide that afternoon’s cup of somehow still-comforting ice cold hot cocoa calls for.