If those hot drinks don't satisfy a sweet tooth, there's the
"liquid chocolate bar," a rich shot of hot chocolate with the slow ooze of a chocolatier's nougatine dream. Th e Max Brenner chain's Suckao comes in dark, milk or white chocolate. "Th e serving size is rather small due to the intensity of the
chocolate," Hureau says. Th e 1883 line includes chocolate sauce and dark chocolate syrup. "Adding fl avors like vanilla, caramel, almond, or even banana can create an even more unforgettable experience." Sweet drinks are perfect choices for families. Hureau
suggests Italian sodas, milkshakes or iced teas as children's choices, and Cooper Dent says you can't go wrong with vanilla and chocolate drinks: "Not many adults will pass up a vanilla latte and even fewer kids will skip a vanilla steamer," she says. Vivid syrups like blue raspberry can be stirred into dairy for a colorful variation on chocolate milk. Operators can further extend their sweet-drink sales with
ready-to-drink teas and lemonades for grab-and-go commuters and lunch diners. More new products to sweeten the pot: • Alpine Spiced Cider gives customers both hot and
cold caff eine-free options (Krusteaz Food Service, www. continentalmills.com). • Allegro Coff ee Co. is expanding its drinking chocolates
with Dominican White Chocolate, blending white chocolate, sweet cream, butter and vanilla. A fair-traded chai-spiced blend is also available (www.allegrocoff ee.com). • Café Essentials Naturals has no artifi cial fl avors, added
colors or hydrogenated oils. Hot cocoas include Belgian-style dark chocolate, truffl e, Mexican spice and dulce de leche. Other choices include ginger or vanilla chai, matcha green team Cocoa'ccino (coff ee and Ghirardelli cocoa) and Whole Lotta Toff ee (www.drsmoothiebrands.com). • To add Latin fl air to your menu, try Big Train's Vivaz line
with traditional fl avors of Mexican Spiced Cocoa, Horchata, Tamarindo and Jamaica (hibiscus). (www.bigtrain.com) • Oregon Chai's Super Concentrates are mixed with dairy
for chai lattes or pumped into frozen drinks (oregonchai.com). • Monin Gourmet Flavorings now off ers 17 diff erent
sugar-free fl avors that include the traditional choices of French Vanilla, Hazelnut and Chocolate as well as other popular fl avors like Raspberry, Irish Cream and Caramel. Th ey are sweetened with sucralose and erythritol for a taste close to sugar. (www. monin.com) • Sweetbird syrups are approved for vegan diets, with no
genetically modifi ed components or artifi cial preservatives or colorings. Flavors include caramel, chai, cinnamon, gingerbread, vanilla and dark and white chocolates (www. hellosweetbird.com). • And for rich, dark mochas, add Ghirardelli Dark
Chocolate Mini-Chips with intense fl avor and velvety texture. Also great as a topping on drinks, ice cream, or desserts. (www. ghirardelli.com) SCR
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Gingerbread and Pumpkin Pie are two of Torani's recent "comfort food"- based sweet flavorings.
Syrups from Routin America's 1883 line can be used for cold or hot drinks.
Monin makes a full line of sugar-free,
calorie-free syrups.
