Haute Chocolate in Vail, 4 Years in the Making

Hello Friends! My family and I have just returned from an amazing 3-day trip to Vail, Colorado – and I can’t wait to share with you all of the incredible photos!

But first, let’s talk chocolate….hot chocolate to be specific. Now, ski-towns like Vail are synonymous with hot chocolate – just like a Hallmark Christmas movie and a happy ending. But while Hallmark movies are not real (wish they were, right?), the hot chocolate in Vail is real and it’s taken very seriously, especially during ski season.

After spending multiple vacations in Vail over the last 4 years, you may wonder why I’m just talking about the hot chocolate now. Well, let me explain.

Four years ago, my family and I spent our first summer vacation in Vail. Given the timing, which was at the very start of COVID, a number of modifications were being made throughout restaurants, hotels and activity sites in order to accommodate the pandemic. The most interesting modification we learned about was related to hot chocolate, but not just any hot chocolate, the signature hot chocolate from the Four Seasons Vail.

On that very first trip to Vail, we were fortunate enough to stay at the Four Seasons. If you follow my travel history – you know that I’m a planner and that, for each trip, I try to find unique things to do. When I researched Vail, one of the most unique recommendations I found was to try the signature hot chocolate at the Four Seasons. Now, the hot chocolate was not the reason we stayed there, but knowing that they served this local legend was an added bonus.

On our very first night at the hotel, I could not wait to try it. We promptly made our way to the dining area of the hotel and inquired about their well-known specialty. But to my surprise and great disappointment, our server shared that they were not preparing the signature hot chocolate because of COVID. Of course, I asked why/how COVID was preventing them from making it. They explained that the drink was fairly time intensive and required quite a bit of hands-on preparation by the pastry chef. Given the COVID restrictions, they opted to be safe and remove it from the menu temporarily. Whether or not I actually believed this reasoning is beside the point (I’m more inclined to believe they had to furlough the pastry chefs). The reality was, no fancy hot chocolate for me.

Fast forward 4 years later, and we find ourselves back in Vail walking by the Four Seasons on our very first evening – a deja vu moment no doubt. I convinced my family to venture into the hotel to see if the hot chocolate was back on the menu and to our delight it was. And how did I know? Well, as soon as we walked up to the host stand, I could see that it was being served to multiple patrons – some with frothy mustaches, but all with wide eyes and huge smiles.

Let’s go! We were seated a few minutes later and ordered two of the signature hot chocolates to share between the four of us. I was so excited and anxious to try this famous concoction that I didn’t care that the drinks cost nearly as much as our entire breakfast ($50+ for 2 drinks). It was destiny….and let’s face it, sometimes destiny can be expensive.

The drinks arrived about 10 minutes later and my daughter and I were camera-ready for the big event. And let me tell you, we were not disappointed. In fact, the whole presentation was outstanding and the taste….well, let’s just say I now know the reason why this drink is so legendary (and why it’s $25 a pop!). This was indeed the best hot chocolate I have ever had – without question.

While my description of the hot chocolate will never do it justice, let me walk you through the experience.

Let’s start with the presentation. When our specialty server arrived with our hot chocolates, she was holding a try with an oversized, wide-mouth mug (think Central Perk on Friends). The mug was covered by a hand-spun, dark chocolate lattice, and filled with dark chocolate chips or pearls (it was hard to tell through the lattice), all with an extra large, homemade square marshmallow on top. But where was the actual hot chocolate? Well my friends, that’s where it gets really interesting. Along with the mug, the server prepared a traditional French chocolate pot, filled with a mixture of Valrhona chocolate (a premium French chocolate) and hot steamed milk. Ok, do you see where this is going now? To create the hot chocolate, the server slowly poured the chocolate/warmed milk mixture over the marshmallow and lattice until the mug was bursting at the top, so much so that I thought the marshmallow might float away!

And now, the taste. Once all of the liquid was emptied into the mugs, it was time to drink. In one word – WOW! In one acronym – OMG! It was love at first sip. It was the richest, creamiest and most chocolatey hot chocolate I’ve ever had, with a perfected taste balance of sweet and bitter (dark chocolate). The marshmallow added even more to the drink – floating on the top like a sweet, fluffy cloud, daring you to dig in for a bite, but playfully dodging your spoon at every attempt. We spent the next 20-30 minutes devouring the drink and ooh and aahing over the taste. But wait, whatever happened to those dark chocolate chips? Well, when the steamed milk was poured into the mug, the chips melted into an oooey gooey goodness at the bottom of the cup, making it reminiscent of the Spanish hot chocolate in Barcelona only minus the churro. You had the option to mix in the melted chips with the rest of your drink, or eat it with your spoon a the very end. I chose the latter. But by the end of the drink, a few large spoonfuls of the melted chocolate pushed me over the edge. I knew it was time to push the mug away and relish in the dazed chocolate coma that was now in.

Haute Chocolate Q&A

What’s it called? Famous Haute Chocolate or Signature Hot Chocolate
Where can I find it? The Four Seasons Vail, Colorado, Remedy Bar
What’s in it? Lots, and lots of Valrhona chocolate, a giant vanilla marshmallow, and steamed milk
How much does it cost? $25+ tax/tip per cup (as of August 2024).
Is it shareable? Yes! I would not say that the drink is easy to split into separate mugs, but it’s definitely sharable with 1 or 2 close friends.
Is there anything I would change? It was challenging to find anything to change about the hot chocolate, but here it goes. Two minor suggestions:
- It would have been nice to have a crunchy cookie (like biscotti or wafer straw) to dip in the chocolate at the bottom.
- I recommend sharing the history of the drink with patrons such as the origin, how it’s made, famous people who have orderd it, etc. This could be as simple as putting a brief story on a stock card that’s served with the drink. It’s simple, relatively inexpensive and adds more meaning to the legendary experience.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely! This drink and the whole experience was four-years in the making for me but well worth the wait and the high price tag.