When we were in Switzerland about three years ago, we decided we'd spend some of our very limited food budget on two things: fondue and hot chocolate. We found what was supposed to be an awesome fondue spot in Murren, and it did not disappoint. When we tried to replicate our luck with hot chocolate in Grindelwald... and failed miserably.

When shopping in grocery stores in Switzerland, we'd seen packs of pre-mixed hot chocolate on the shelves. We were always tempted, but wanted to save our one Swiss hot chocolate experience for something slightly more authentic at one of the many adorable cafes. So on our last day in Grindelwald we finally decided on a spot, picking it mostly for the fact that there was a wood stove and it was packed. We ordered our two hot chocolates and expected Serendipity style melted chocolate in a mug to be delivered to our table.

Instead, they brought us two mugs of hot milk... and two packets of the SAME pre-mixed hot chocolate we'd resisted buying in the grocery store... for 8 times the price. We were the saddest, and we mopily drank our mediocre hot chocolate and left Switzerland the next day (we were going to leave the next day anyway - we didn't storm out of the country because of the hot chocolate fiasco, but we may have because THAT is how disappointed we were.)

Fast forward three years, and we see this Pop Sci article promising to deliver the formula for the best hot chocolate ever. Like, the what-you-imagine-the-elves-in-a-Christmas-movie-are-drinking kind of hot chocolate. It's a little complicated, but it seems worth it, so we give it a try...