The notion that hot chocolate is merely a kids’ means of warming up after a few dozen sled trips down a neighborhood hill can easily be put to rest in Bucks County. Chocolatiers in all directions are addressing the steamy winter treat with as much care and attention as they give their upscale inventory like truffles.

An online search of reviewers’ comments reveals the best in the area.

Served Onsite

Hickory Stick Ice Cream, Perkasie, may sound like a chilly destination during a January freeze, but the cocoa served at this time of year easily eclipses its sundaes and shakes. Flavor variations can be customized with add-ins, topped by whipped cream and a sweet sprinkle of your choosing.

A bit more upscale is Lambertville Trading Company, Lambertville, N.J. Its Mexican-style hot chocolate has just a hint of heat, enough to warm you on the bridge walk back to Bucks County. Quick reminder: The shop is cash only.

Make at Home

Sciascia Confections, New Hope, sells a top-notch mix for you to buy there (or online) and make in your own kitchen. Either of its varieties — European Drinking Chocolate or Mayan Drinking Chocolate — is light years away from those warm-milk-and-Nestlé’s-Quik concoctions from your childhood.

Newtown’s Naked Chocolate’s mix is inspired by both European chocolate cafés and Ecuadorian cacao farms. Both Rachel Ray and USA Today have recognized it for its quality.

Eat By Hand

Stutz Candy (Hatboro and Warrington) and Raymer’s Homemade Candy (Doylestown) each have turned luscious cocoa into a bite-sized treats. Their hot-chocolate-evocative candies provide all the flavor with no whipped cream mustache.

One calls them bites (Stutz); one calls them bombs (Raymer’s). But you’ll call either variety mouth-watering.