City Bakery’s Hot-Chocolate Festival

On February 1st, City Bakery launches a month-long celebration of hot chocolate in all of its glorious variations. Though this Flatiron shop is praised year-round for its rich melted chocolate topped off with a homemade marshmallow, the 16th annual festival offers a rotating roster of additional flavors, from Caramel or Banana Peel to the Chili Pepper or even Beer varieties. Maury Rubin, owner of the City Bakery and Birdbath, admits he’s partial to the bourbon hot chocolate, even issuing this rather curious and passionate statement: “The bourbon [hot chocolate] tastes like what a vintage Jaguar looks like going very fast.”  Alrighty then.  More importantly, we’ve received confirmation that there is indeed bourbon in this warm elixir, which begs the question: Will City Bakery be carding diners at the register?

Flavors can be ordered by the 4-ounce shot or the slightly
more indulgent 10-ounce cup.  While the calendar won’t officially be up-and-running until February 1st, a sneak peek revealed an exotic new flavor: Lemon-licorice. For more information, visit www.hotchocolatefestival.com.
 
City Bakery
Address: 3 West 18th St., btwn. 5th & 6th Aves.
Phone: (212) 366-1414