Sip Of The Week: Mexican Hot Chocolate At La Newyorkina

As we’ve all heard, we might see a little snow today. While that seems a bit premature to those of us who just want to kick up some fallen leaves for another couple weeks, we’re willing to accept it because it inspires one wonderful craving: hot chocolate!

Nothing makes us feel quite as cozy on a cold, snowy day as a rich cup of hot chocolate, and while we have a few great options in the neighborhood, we recently got yet another.

La Newyorkina, which you may know from Smorgasburg, recently opened for the season in the space that holds People’s Pops each summer. Though the Mexican sweets shop also makes ice pops — more specifically, fruit-filled paletas — as well as ice cream (which is on sale for Thanksgiving, in case you need something to make those pies a la mode), cookies, candied pepitas, and more, we stopped in on a recent chilly evening to try their Mexican hot chocolate.

If you’ve never had this version of the drink before, it’s similar to what you might be familiar with, but with a few distinct differences. Mexican hot chocolate has a bit more body, from being frothed with a molinillo or a whisk, and from the somewhat gritty chocolate that’s used. For that reason, we’re plenty happy to enjoy a small size ($4). It’s also got a touch of spice, with cinnamon usually the most distinct.

The one served up at La Newyorkina has a great balance of rich, chocolatey flavor and a hint of warm, fall spices, that you’ll hardly notice if you’re drinking it in a snow drift. So bring it on, winter! We’re ready for you.

La Newyorkina is located at 808B Union Street, just off 7th Avenue. They’ll be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but will be in this pop-up space through March.