Baltimore, MDHot Chocolate

Baltimore Magazine opens its hot chocolate roundup at this subterranean Midtown-Belvedere tea shop, best known for a wide array of teas but singled out here for a dark hot chocolate built on vanilla, cinnamon and salt, topped with vegan marshmallows. Co-owner Zena Lichter told the magazine the drink is an emotionally warm and comforting moment that brings a smile, and that the mix of sweet, heat and creaminess brightens the gray days. Order the dark hot chocolate rather than working through the tea list on a cold afternoon.

Baltimore Magazine points winter visitors to the ice cream parlor's other cold-weather draw: piping-hot cups of cocoa loaded with massive hunks of homemade marshmallows. The shop has grown to five locations between Hampden and Columbia, but the magazine names this original 36th Street address for the season's cocoa. Order the hot chocolate on a walk down the Avenue rather than waiting for ice cream weather, and ask for extra marshmallow if the mug looks a little bare.

Jinji Fraser roasts and grinds her own cacao beans on site rather than melting ready-made chocolate, the detail Baltimore Magazine leads with at her Waverly storefront. The write-up pairs that responsibly sourced, bean-to-bar approach with a hot chocolate garnished with toasted vegan marshmallows, alongside the truffles and fudge she is better known for. Order the hot chocolate to go with a few pieces from the case, since the magazine treats the drink as a companion to the confections rather than the main event.

The cold weather need not drive anyone away from this Fells Point gelato shop, Baltimore Magazine advises in its hot chocolate roundup, since the frozen case is not the only reason to stop in during winter. Pitango also pours a rich Italian sipping chocolate made with Domori cocoa, organic milk and sugar. Order the sipping chocolate on Broadway even after gelato weather has passed, since the magazine frames it as this shop's cold-weather answer to its own summer draw.

Baltimore Magazine calls this Green Spring Station bakery a stalwart, and its winter hot chocolate is a homey mix of French-sourced Valrhona cocoa powder and steamed milk, finished with homemade marshmallows. The magazine's guide invites customizing it further with whipped cream and flavored syrups, the same case-forward approach the bakery takes with its pastries. Order the hot chocolate with a syrup add-in, and pick up something from the bakery case on the way out, since that pairing is what the magazine frames the stop around.