Holiday Hot Chocolate Bar Ideas

Before stocking up on all the accessories and ingredients like single-serve coffee makers, electric kettles, mugs, stirring spoons, coffee and hot cocoa, consider the best placement for your beverage station. There are a few ways you can go about setting up this area. If you have the room, you can use extra space on a kitchen countertop or island. If not, consider using a bar cart or a piece of furniture like a home bar, hutch or buffet table. Either way, make the space feel festive by adding decorations like garland, string lights, wreaths or tabletop décor.

There are a several options for serving coffee and other hot drinks. One way is to set up a single-serve coffee maker that allows guests to choose their preferred flavor pod, press a button and get a cup of freshly brewed coffee or hot chocolate. Another idea is to use a coffee urn, ideal for entertaining, which can make and hold anywhere from 10 to 50 cups of coffee or hot chocolate. Depending on how many guests you’re expecting, this might be a better choice. If you’d like to skip coffee and only serve hot chocolate and tea, you can simply set up an electric kettle to boil water for instant hot chocolate sachets and tea bags. Alternatively, you can fill a glass jar or other canister with homemade hot chocolate powder that guests can spoon out into their mugs.

Once you’ve figured out how you’re going to serve coffee and other hot beverages, make sure you have all the right serving essentials. First, make sure to stock enough mugs for each guest. Choose a holiday-themed set, mix and match mugs in festive colors and prints, or opt for a classic look with a set of all-white mugs. For larger parties, you may want to opt for disposable cups. Other essentials you might want to include are napkins, serving spoons, and bowls or mason jars for holding items like coffee creamer, crushed candy canes and marshmallows for hot cocoa and more.