Velvet-iced: Beat the heat with these 5 velvetised iced chocolate drink recipes

Leave hot chocolate to winter and try out these refreshingly soothing iced chocolate drinks this summer — made with our state-of-the-art Velvetiser. Here are a few iced chocolate drink recipes to get you through a sweltering summer.

We’ve already covered how to make a Velvetiser iced coffee at home, but what if you want a little more cacao in your chilled drink? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. After all, drinking chocolate isn’t just for keeping cosy on a cold winter’s evening.

These irresistible Velvetiser iced chocolate drink ideas are easy to make, utterly delectable, and wonderfully refreshing. As the weather gets warmer, whip out your Velvetiser and bookmark the following recipes for when you’re after a cooling beverage.

What is iced chocolate?

Iced chocolate is the velvet-iced, cold version of our hot drinking chocolate. While you often see iced coffee for sale in cafes, iced chocolate can be harder to come by. It’s so sumptuous and satisfying — we’re not entirely sure why the rest of the world hasn’t caught on yet.

It might be to do with the fact that some cafes don’t have a way of making their hot chocolate silky smooth and creamy, or the fact that some establishments use instant, powered drinking chocolate. It’s still delicious, but it doesn’t have that moreish, smooth texture that our guests know and love.

In our opinion, the best way to make an iced chocolate drink is with velvety milk and real chocolate flakes. These are both essential ingredients if you’re serious about making heavenly iced chocolate for a day when the sun’s beaming down.

Neither of these things should be an issue at home, however. With our Velvetiser hot chocolate machine and fabulous high-cacao drinking chocolates made with real chocolate, you’ll be good to go.

What do you need to make an iced chocolate drink with The Velvetiser?

Ready to turn your summer days up a notch? Equip yourself with the following before you make your iced chocolate drinks — whether this be a lone indulgence, for a gathering of friends, or for the whole family.

• The Velvetiser — An obvious start. Our fantastic hot chocolate machine, designed our expert chocolatiers and engineered by Dualit. Our one-stop gadget for making velvety smooth drinks in the comfort of your own home.

• High-quality drinking chocolate — You’ll need to get your hands on hot chocolate sachets or pouches made with real, high-cacao chocolate. In our opinion, these make the best-tasting drinks. Remember, your drinking chocolate is the base of your drink. It’s what gives it its flavour. Better quality, better beverage. Don’t forget to explore our range of Hot Chocolate Flavours and pick your favourites.

• Milk — What’s an iced chocolate drink without milk? You’ll need your choice of milk — 220ml per drink. Cow’s milk, oat milk, almond milk, lactose-free milk. It’s up to you! Both dairy and plant-based milk drinks are compatible with The Velvetiser.

• A drinking glass — Choose your favourite drinking glass for serving. Make sure it’s large enough to fit 220ml of beverage. Will you go for a standard glass or a jar with a straw? Make your iced chocolate yours and yours alone.

• Lots of ice — need we say more?

Iced hot chocolate recipes for summer

Feel free to follow these suggestions to a T or put your own twist on things — we’re all for experimentation and innovation. Top your iced chocolate with whipped cream and a complementing Selector to finish, mix in our silky smooth Velvetised Creams to create an alcoholic chocolate tipple — the glass is your oyster.

These are some of our favourite ideas, but it’s hard to go too far wrong with iced chocolate. At the end of the day, it’s blissful chocolate, milk, and a fabulously frothed texture — whatever you create will surely be a heavenly flavour experience.

All our iced chocolate recipes feature our own real drinking chocolate (also referred to as hot chocolate) sachets. Though these were originally created for making indulgent hot chocolate, they work fabulously in our iced chocolate recipes, too.

1. The classic iced hot chocolate recipe

To make all our iced chocolate ideas, you’ll need to follow the same method. It’s simple, it’s delicious, and it just works — trust us.

1. Pour 120ml of milk into your Velvetiser. Add 100 ml of cold milk to your glass.

2. Add around 6 – 8 ice cubes to your glass. Fancy more ice or a bit less? Go for it.

3. Sprinkle the contents of your drinking chocolate single-serve sachet into the Velvetiser. (If you have one of our drinking chocolate pouches, add 5 heaped teaspoons (30g of flakes) instead.

4. Press the button and let the Velvetiser work its magic. In 2.5 minutes you’ll be met with the silkiest drink your taste buds could have ever imagined.

5. Pour your velvetised liquid chocolate into your glass, over the ice cubes.

Adding lots of ice to your glass will ensure your drink cools right down to an ‘iced beverage’ level of chilled. If you want to make sure it’s extra cold, you could always put your glass in the fridge for a few minutes before making your drink. Why not take it a step further and use some syrup to coat the inside of your glass?

2. The dark iced chocolate recipe

A rich, dark, indulgent iced chocolate — perfect for dark chocolate devotees who want to taste the pure, unadulterated taste of authentic cacao.

The main star of this iced chocolate drink is our 70% Dark Chocolate Sachet. Still not hitting the spot? Go darker if you dare with the ultimate dark chocolate drink — our Dark 100%. As mentioned, you’ll just need to add the contents of the sachet into your Velvetiser, set up your ice cube-filled glass, and away you go.

To serve

Garnish this dark chocolate iced drink with one of our 70% Dark Chocolate Batons, or create a twist on the classic ‘ice cream float’ by adding a dark chocolate truffle or two — we like to call it a ‘truffle float’.

3. The luxurious Black Forest Gateau iced chocolate recipe

For an iced chocolate with a little more intrigue and a fruity base flavour, our Black Forest Chocolate Sachets deliver a combination of juicy morello and black cherries, chocolate sponge, and sweet whipped cream. If you adore decadent flavours and fancy a blend of dark and white chocolate, this one’s for you.

To serve

We think this Black Forest iced drink pairs beautifully with a garnish of frozen blueberries and raspberries. An extra addition of fresh cherries (in keeping with the palate of the drink) also tastes divine. Rich chocolate and sweet berries are a match made in heaven.

4. The vegan* iced chocolate drink recipe

Living a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you should have to miss out on the creamy smoothness of our iced chocolate beverages.

Our 45% Nutmilk Chocolate Sachets unite staggeringly creamy chocolate with a hint of roasted hazelnut. This nutty, mellow chocolate is so indulgent, you’ll have a hard time believing it’s dairy-free and vegan*.

To serve

This drink also works well with a sprinkling of fresh berries. For those wanting a garnish on the more chocolatey side, our Raspberry Nutmilk Ganache Selector or Panned Pecan Nutmilk Praline Selector makes a zingy, creamy, vegan-friendly* addition.

*We believe our dark and Nutmilk chocolate is suitable for vegans. However, as it is made in the same environment as our milk chocolate we cannot guarantee it is free from milk.

5. The peanut butter iced chocolate recipe

For a cool, fresh beverage that’s rich in cacao but also utterly nutty, use our Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate Sachets to get the best results. Salty peanut butter is blended with caramel milk chocolate for that sublime sweetness and nuanced chocolate flavour.

To serve

Scatter a few real peanut pieces over your iced drink for a bit of crunch. You can also snap up a few pieces of our luxurious Chocolate Peanut Butter Slab and stir them into your drink. Or why not top it with whipped cream and a Peanut Butter Baton? You’ll get to enjoy a piece of real chocolate every few sips — a rather indulgent addition!

Make your summer one to remember with Hotel Chocolat

We hope you enjoy creating your iced chocolate drinks with these ideas. Don’t forget to explore all our drinking chocolate flavours, like Vanilla White, Salted Caramel, and many more. There’s enough to keep you experimenting with your chilled drinks all summer long.

Can’t wait? Why not sign up for The Drinking Chocolate Subscription to receive your favourite hot chocolate through the post monthly or every, two or three months? You’ll even get FREE standard UK delivery.

Keep the iced chocolate drinks flowing all summer long with Hotel Chocolat.

By Ian Mackie