Beginning February 1 , coffee shops, restaurants, and chocolate shops across the city will come together for a great cause and a little friendly competition. This year, YYC Hot Chocolate Fest has over 70 vendors that invite you to try their signature hot chocolate and vote for the best cup in the city.
A portion of the proceeds from the month long event are generously donated to Meals on Wheels, so start sipping and voting your way down the Ave:
Analog Coffee (740 17th Ave SW) – The Corbeaux: is a basil infused Lindt white hot chocolate with a hint of lemon. The drink is velvety and sweet with just a light touch of basil shining through. Their very own Corbeaux bakery is handmaking decadent marshmallows that will serve as a tasty topper on The Corbeaux Hot Chocolate, along with a golden-brown white chocolate cookie to dip.
Blanco (723 17th Ave SW) – Chocoloca: a winning combination of evaporated, condensed and whole milk, chili flakes, dried ancho chili, vanilla bean, chocolate chips, 1 oz of Patron XO incendio, and garnished with a cinnamon stick.
Janice Beaton Fine Cheese (1017 16th Ave SW) – The Brothers in Chocolate: showcases a dark chocolate-base made with organic cows’s milk from Rock Ridge Dairy in Ponoka, Alberta, sweetened with honey from Beeland Honey. Its pièce de resistance is the fabulous Five Brothers cheese, from Gunns Hill Artisan Cheese in Woodstock, ON. This creamy firm cheese is a cross between Gouda and a Swiss Alpine cheese. Luscious melty bits of cheese provide the perfect tangy, chewy counterpoint to this simple hot chocolate. Shaved Five Brothers and cocoa powder are the toppers. The bottom of the cup is where the swooning really happens!
Mabou Cheese & Bar (1006 17th Ave SW) – Chèvre Chaud Chocolat: features a dark rich and thick hot chocolate, made with organic cow’s milk from Rock Ridge Dairy in Ponoka, Alberta into which we have melted a tangy dollop of stellar fresh chèvre, also made by Rock Ridge Dairy. Chocolate and goat cheese are a winning combination and when you add Kabir, the lovely Italian dessert wine, it goes from ridiculously delicious to sublimely so. Notes of honeysuckle and citrus play delightfully into the mix, and a quenelle of whipped goat cheese sits airily atop!
Ollia Macrons & Tea (801C 16th Ave SW) – Salted Caramel Drinking Chocolate: starts with a rich chocolate base from their chocolatier friends at Old Coal and is perfectly infused with their fleur de sel salted caramel sauce. They couldn’t decide on a caramel whip cream topping or a caramel marshmallow, so they chose both! A touch of France in Calgary, mais oui.
Waves Coffee House (1019 17th Ave SW & 602 17th Ave SW) – Theatre Hot Chocolate: topped off with whip cream, caramel drizzle and caramel covered popcorn pieces. Sipping on their Theatre Style Hot Chocolate is like enjoying a handful of creamy caramel and chocolate covered popcorn but without the crunch.
5S17 (634 17th Ave SW) – Matcha Cocoa: Japanese inspired hot white chocolate. A creamy, balanced blend of matcha tea, coconut milk and Lindt white chocolate, topped with whip cream and toasted coconut.
Be sure to pick-up a YYC Hot Chocolate Fest drink passport at participating businesses. Visit as many vendors as possible for your chance to win great prizes.
Stay up-to-date on all the details of YYC Hot Chocolate Fest by following them online:
Instagram: @yychotchocolatefest
Twitter: @YYCHotChocolate
Facebook: facebook.com/YYCHotChocolateFest
