Choose Warm, White and Iced Chocolate Mocktail Recipes

Three chocolate mocktails cover three different situations. Derek Brown's spiced cacao mug is a frothy, warm drink built on a brewed cacao base with an agave spirit alternative. Mocktaily's white hot chocolate is a rich, sweet milk drink for two. Cadbury's iced chocolate is the quick cold option. If you came looking for a chilled hot chocolate mocktail recipe, Cadbury's version is the one to use: you dissolve hot chocolate powder in a little warm water, add cold milk and pour it over ice straight away, with no blending or fridge time.

The site's existing pink hot chocolate stays a separate recipe under its own owner. It is not changed or merged with the three options below.

Compare the three drinks

Recipe	Serving	Chocolate component	Base liquid	Alcohol information	Equipment
Derek Brown's spiced version (Positive Damage)	Warm, one 8-oz mug	Brewed spiced cacao made from unsweetened cacao	Oat milk	Calls for a non-alcoholic distilled agave spirit; one product option, Ritual, is stated as less than 0.5% ABV	Saucepan, cheesecloth, heatproof container, hand blender or blender
Mocktaily white hot chocolate	Warm, two servings	Finely chopped white chocolate	Whole milk	Uses alcohol-free vanilla	Saucepan, whisk
Cadbury iced chocolate	Cold, one glass over ice	Cadbury Hot Chocolate powder	Cold semi-skimmed milk or a milk alternative	No spirit or vanilla in the recipe	Microwave-safe glass or jug, spoon, ice

Pick the recipe that fits the moment

Choose Brown's spiced version for a cocktail-style warm drink with spice, a hint of heat and a foamed top, and when you can spend time brewing a base first.
Choose the white hot chocolate for a sweet, creamy dessert drink for two that needs only a saucepan and a whisk.
Choose the iced version when you want something cold right away, or when you need a dairy-free milk, since Cadbury explicitly allows a milk alternative.
If any trace of alcohol is unacceptable, skip the agave spirit alternative described below and choose the white or iced drink.

Derek Brown's spiced cacao mocktail

In his Positive Damage "Recipe of the Month: 'Spiked' Hot Chocolate," Brown works in two stages: brew a spiced cacao base, then heat and foam a single mug.

Make the cacao base: combine 4 teaspoons unsweetened cacao, 1/2 teaspoon each of whole cloves, ground cardamom and orange peel, two cinnamon sticks and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, simmer five minutes, then strain through cheesecloth into a heatproof container.
Build the mug: in a saucepan, combine 1 oz non-alcoholic distilled agave spirit, 2 oz of the spiced cacao and 4 oz oat milk. Add 1/4 oz agave syrup if you want it sweeter and a pinch of cayenne if you want heat.
Heat the mixture together for five minutes.
Combine and foam it with a hand blender or a countertop blender, then pour into an 8-oz mug.

The base makes far more than one mug needs. Brown's recipe does not give a heat level for the saucepan step or a storage time for leftover base, so decide before brewing whether you plan to make several mugs in one session.

Mocktaily's white hot chocolate

Ingredients for two: 500 ml whole milk, 100 g finely chopped white chocolate, 1/2 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla and a pinch of salt.
Heat the milk until it steams, but do not let it boil.
Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate.
Return the pan to low heat for one minute.
Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
Finish, if you like, with whipped cream, a little nutmeg or crushed freeze-dried raspberries.

Cadbury's iced chocolate

Mix 3 teaspoons Cadbury Hot Chocolate powder with 25 ml water.
Microwave at 800 W for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth.
Stir in 175 ml cold semi-skimmed milk or your chosen milk alternative.
Serve immediately over ice.

Cadbury gives the timing only for an 800 W microwave. If yours has a different wattage, watch for the smooth stage rather than relying on the 20 seconds.

Alcohol-free vanilla versus an agave spirit alternative

These two ingredients are not equivalent. Nielsen-Massey's Alcohol-Free Vanilla, one option for the white hot chocolate, contains glycerin, water and vanilla bean extractives, and the maker states that no alcohol is present. Brown's recipe names only a generic non-alcoholic distilled agave spirit. Ritual's Agave Spirit Alternative is one product that fits that description, but choosing it is an example selection, not Brown's endorsement. Despite its zero-proof marketing, Ritual's own FAQ states it is less than 0.5% ABV, so it should not be described as 0.0%. Its listed ingredients include water, natural flavors, sugar, citric acid, xanthan gum, salt, caramel color and preservatives.

How to judge progress and finish

Spiced cacao base: it is ready to strain after a full boil followed by five minutes of simmering, and the strained liquid should be free of whole spices and cinnamon sticks.
Brown's mug: the drink should be combined and foamy after blending.
White hot chocolate: the milk should be steaming but not boiling before the chocolate goes in. Mocktaily gives no separate visual cue for the melted chocolate beyond whisking it in and the minute back on low heat.
Iced chocolate: the powder and water should be stirred smooth before the cold milk is added, and the drink is served the moment it is poured over ice.

Safety

Blending hot liquid needs care. Brown does not name a blender model, so follow your own blender's manual. As one example, Vitamix's E310 manual permits cautious hot-liquid processing in the 48-oz container, filled below maximum capacity, starting at Variable 1 with the lid secured. It says never to blend hot liquid in the 20-oz cup.

For drinks made with dairy milk, such as the white hot chocolate or an iced chocolate made with semi-skimmed milk, the CDC advises refrigerating dairy perishables within two hours, or within one hour if the temperature is above 90°F. Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below.