HOT CHOCOLATE BAR | Set Up NOW + Make It Gorgeous!

Have some guests coming over and want to set something cute up quickly? Have you heard of a hot chocolate bar? Think of a really delicious drink station that has everything and anything you can add to hot chocolate so your guests can create custom hot chocolate drinks!

Hot chocolate bars are great to have as they act as both a centerpiece or themed decoration while serving a purpose: a drink station that anyone can appreciate!

You can put a ton of time and effort into setting up a hot chocolate bar, but really, hot chocolate bars are easy to make with what you have on hand. So we are going to give you some hot chocolate bar set up ideas as well as share some websites that you can buy hot chocolate bar supplies at so you are ready if you want to take it to the next level.

HOT CHOCOLATE BAR

There are some basic hot chocolate bar supplies that you are going to need, and they are:

• A place to set your hot chocolate bar up at that is central to your party or gathering
• A board of some kind like a cutting board or a charcuterie board for your hot chocolate bar
• Optional: a tablecloth to set the theme of the hot chocolate party
• Containers to display your hot chocolate bar garnishes
• Smaller containers for your powdered hot chocolate bar sugars and spices
• Decorative elements to put around your hot chocolate bar table

A hot chocolate bar can easily be created on a budget with what you have on hand.

We are going to talk about each point above and how to make a hot chocolate bar on a budget or with items you already have around the house, as well as suggest some items you can buy for you future hot chocolate bars!

Let's go into detail as to what you can use to make your hot chocolate bar.

1. A Place To Set Up Your Hot Chocolate Bar

When setting up a hot chocolate bar for a hot chocolate party, you are going to want to have it in a place where it will be seen (because it is going to be wow-worthy) and a place that is accessible to your guests as well, without it being in the way of course.

Some ideas of places to have your hot chocolate bar include:

• A kitchen island
• The kitchen table
• An area of on your countertop
• A living room side table
• A coffee table

Wherever you decide to have your hot chocolate bar, just make sure it won't be in the way of conversation, but you still want it in the same room.

2. A Hot Chocolate Board For Your Hot Chocolate Bar

Having a hot chocolate board for your hot chocolate bar serves a few purposes:

1. A hot chocolate board makes your hot chocolate bar look more purposeful in that you took time to put it together rather than just throwing your hot chocolate bar items on a table
2. A hot chocolate board makes moving the hot chocolate bar easier in case it happens to take up space where your company is gathering or the party moves to a different room

There are many things you can use as your hot chocolate board, and here are some popular ideas:

• Build your hot chocolate bar on a charcuterie board
• Use a large cutting board for your hot chocolate bar
• A large, flat serving plate can elevate your hot hot chocolate bar
• Use a few different cake stands for you hot chocolate bar
• A cute serving tray makes an excellent board for a hot chocolate bar

Check out Etsy seller Erica's shop, Baileys Branches. She has some really gorgeous ideas for a hot chocolate bar and you can buy her handmade decor for your own hot chocolate bar! Here is an example of what she does, and she used a two tier cake stand to display her hot chocolate bar decor:

Check out Baileys Branches Etsy store here

3. A Tablecloth For Your Hot Chocolate Bar

Adding a tablecloth to your hot chocolate bar really brings the decor element of the bar to life!

Here are some ideas you can pull together to add a tablecloth to your hot chocolate bar:

• Use a piece of linen to dress up your hot chocolate bar: think of being shabby chic! Ripped edges can add to the whole look of the bar
• A clean scarf: if you love the idea of plaid at Christmas, see what scarves might be appropriate to achieve a cute hot chocolate bar look. Fold the scarf in half to adorn the table
• Any doily or napkin. If you want to dress it up, find a stamp and stamp some Christmas snowflakes or trees onto it! (Having stamps at Christmastime is pretty handy anyways, they are great for DIY gift wrapping, cards and more
• A faux fur accent always looks gorgeous for a winter display and would ad an element of warmth and hint at snowy inspiration

Once you have found your accent cloth for your hot chocolate bar, you can start to set it up. This really starts to bring your bar together.

4. Containers To Display Hot Chocolate Garnishes

This is where your creativity can really come out! Find some beautiful containers to display what you want to garnish your hot chocolate with. The trick here, is to find different containers that match. You can use different sized mason jars, cookie jars, straw containers, even matching bowls.

Krista at The Pretty Paper Studio on Etsy uses matching bowls to display some of her garnishes for her hot chocolate bar, and you can even purchase her pretty signs as a printable hot chocolate bar kit! Those signs really do add such a touch of magic, don't they?

Check out The Pretty Paper Studio on Etsy here

You can also buy her hot chocolate bar printables in different colors and styles. Her red plaid signs and the soft pink palettes are sure gorgeous.

You can also purchase chalkboard labels to put on your own containers for hot chocolate bar signs, like these ones below from Amazon:

Check price on Amazon here

Hot chocolate bar garnish ideas can include a variety of tasty treats, including:

• Marshmallows
• Chocolate chips
• Coconut
• Sprinkles or funfetti
• Chocolate shavings
• Pretzel sticks (bonus if they are dipped partly in chocolate!)
• Graham wafer crumbs
• Whipped cream
• Candy canes (You can also smash up some candy canes for a hot chocolate cup rim)
• White chocolate
• Cinnamon stick stirrers

5. Smaller Containers For Sugars & Spices For The Hot Chocolate Bar

You can go ahead and continue with your theme of the same jars as above, just in different sizes. Alternatively, you could also use danity, cute tea cups as well! Here are some ideas of sugars and spices you might want to include in your hot chocolate bar:

• Sugar (white sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, maple sugar, vanilla sugar etc. offering choice is part of the fun of a hot chocolate bar, and this is again where labels come in handy!)
• Cinnamon
• Chili powder or cayenne pepper (pairing hot chocolate with chili powder or cayenne pepper is a beautiful flavor combination
• Mint powder (You can read how we make our own mint powder right here)

6. Decorative Elements For Your Hot Chocolate Table

Here is where it all comes together. You can decorate your hot chocolate table with so many different things!

We highly recommend using signs so your guests know what they are adding to their hot chocolate, but in addition to hot chocolate signs, you can decorate your hot chocolate bar with:

• Small twigs or tree branches
• Little Christmas ornaments in your color theme
• Candy canes
• Sparkles
• Flower petals
• Pinecones (you can even paint the tips white like snow for an added touch!)
• Fake snowflakes
• Scrabble pieces that spell out holiday messages
• Mistletoe
• You can even have some fairy lights around to really kick up the merry feeling!

And voila! Now all you need is the hot chocolate for your hot chocolate bar.

7. The Hot Chocolate For Your Hot Chocolate Bar

We recommend making a homemade hot chocolate in a large batch for your hot chocolate bar, and serving it off to the side in something that can keep it warm.

There is nothing worst than cold, hot chocolate! The best device to maintain a constant heat without burning the milk in your hot chocolate, is a crock pot.

Check prices of Crock Pots on Amazon right here

You can check out our own homemade hot chocolate recipes. These are tried and tested recipes and for this bar we highly recommend our Old Fashioned Hot Chocolate recipe, but you can see all of four best homemade hot chocolate recipes right here.

Well we hope we have inspired your to make an absolutely fabulous hot chocolate bar! And we would love to see what you came up with!! Be sure to comment below and send us a photo of your hot chocolate bar.

Happy holidays!

 

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