Best hot chocolate on Long Island 

When the going gets cold, the cold get hot chocolate. Whether it’s true hot chocolate — solid chocolate melted into milk or cream — or hot cocoa — sugar and cocoa powder frothed with milk — it’s your best beverage defense against winter. Here are 10 local shops that are pushing the (Swiss Miss) envelope:

Alkemy Ice Cream

260 Main St., Huntington

Local dairy, high-quality chocolate, homemade marshmallows — these ice cream adjacencies are Alkemy’s stock in trade. So, folks who line up for ice cream (custom made à la minute with liquid nitrogen) in summer should be clamoring for the shop’s hot chocolate. Traditional hot cocoa comes in classic traditional or Aztec (with cinnamon and chili), but the real attraction here is sipping chocolate, made with 60% Callebaut chocolate melted into milk so that splits the difference between a beverage and a pudding. Available in classic or peppermint-white chocolate. Any of these can be crowned with a ring of homemade, brulée-ed marshmallow. More info: 855-255-3690, alkemyicecream.com

Coco Confections

365 Glen Cove Ave., Sea Cliff

Come winter, this fine chocolatier turns its attention to liquid treats, melting bittersweet Belgian chocolate into a combination of milk and cream for a beverage that hits a balance between rich and drinkable (in sizable quantity). Owner Terry Kenniff makes all his own syrups (chocolate and otherwise) so this is the place to get chocolate-tinged coffee drinks like the Coco latte (hot chocolate spiked with espresso), truffle latte (chocolate and hazelnut), Coco praline (chocolate, hazelnut and caramel). New this season is the Dubai chocolate latte with pistachio syrup and dust. More info: 516-277-2657, coco-li.com

Coffee Booths

226 Middle Country Rd., Selden

Specialty lattes are just the tip of the iceberg at this hidden gem. The family-owned and operated spot has a house-made hot chocolate on the menu (melted Belgian chocolate, sugar and a hint of Ghirardelli classic white vanilla chips mixed with milk and steamed; topped with whipped cream and drizzling of chocolate), but any of its 15 specialty lattes can instead be made with a hot chocolate base. Options may include such rich flavors as s’mores, spicy dark chocolate, chocolate-dunked pretzel, Rice Krispies Treat and black-and-white cookie. Cash only. More info: 631-846-1966, Instagram: @coffee_booths

Druthers Coffee

1113 North Country Rd., Stony Brook

This popular coffee purveyor makes a classic cocoa with dark chocolate, Ceylon cinnamon and oat milk — but why stick to boring brown? "Blue cocoa" is crafted from Callebaut white chocolate and oat milk infused with chamomile, lavender, spearmint, lemon myrtle and butterfly pea flower, which lends it its distinctive hue. Prefer pink? Try the "Rose cocoa," made with white and ruby chocolates, rose petals and oat milk. Any chocolate can be ordered hot or cold. More info: druthers.coffee

The French Workshop

191 Seventh St., Garden City, 516-248-6800; 417 S. Oyster Bay Rd., Plainview, 516-408-5666; 1187 Wantagh Ave., Wantagh, 516-240-2433

This French-style bakery brings three types of hot chocolate to the table: classic, white chocolate and Nutella. This isn’t hot cocoa, mind you; the shop melts actual chocolate (Valrhona for the classic, Monin for the white) into milk for a thick, rich brew. For the Nutella, the chocolate-hazelnut spread is combined with steamed milk. Top your drink off with a sprinkle of cinnamon or classic whipped cream. More info: thefrenchworkshop.com

Georgio’s Coffee Roasters

131 Main St., Stony Brook, 631-847-1700; 1965 New Hwy., Farmingdale, 516-238-2999

This esteemed coffee roaster also honors that other tropical bean — cacao — with a house-made sauce that uses chocolate from Utah-based chocolatier Ritual Chocolate. Ritual’s 65% "Mid Mountain" blend is blended with steamed milk and, if requested, topped with hand-whipped vanilla cream. More info: georgioscoffee.com

The Gourmet Whaler

111 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor

A charming cafe in a charming town, The Gourmet Whaler serves a wide-ranging menu of beverages, savories and, especially, sweets that owner Denise Chin makes from scratch. To warm up cold-weather customers, she makes hot cocoa served with whipped cream or homemade marshmallow fluff that is dramatically torched. Flavors include peppermint bark, Samoa (with coconut) and the towering s’mores, which is topped with fluff, chocolate drizzle and both graham crackers and cracker crumbs. More info: 631-659-2977, gourmetwhalerny.com

Grindstone Coffee & Donuts

7A Main St., Sag Harbor

On top of its creative doughy creations, this hipster doughnut shop offers an impressive drinks list. Try a traditional hot chocolate or kick it up a notch with a spicy creation, the Mexican Mocha, made with Monin dark chocolate syrup, steamed whole milk, Saigon cinnamon and cayenne pepper, topped with a dusting of cocoa powder. More info: 631-808-3370, grindstonedonuts.com

La Petite Framboise

294 Main St., Port Washington

At this French bistro, hot chocolate is served Parisian style — that is, thick, dark and impossibly rich and thick enough to drink or eat with a spoon. You’ll get a little pot of it that you can pour at your own pace, adding whipped cream as you go. The kitchen introduced this as a brunch item but it can usually be found at lunch as well. The "secret recipe" contains Belgian chocolate but we’re not sure what else. More info: 516-767-7164, laptiteframboise.com

Witches Brew Coffee House

311 Hempstead Tpke., West Hempstead

This Gothic Victorian cafe offers hot chocolate in almost 30 flavors — cocoa powder is bloomed with hot water and cut with steamed milk, then mixed with syrup, allowing customers to choose from flavorings ranging from caramel, cherry, coconut and cupcake to hazelnut, maple, strawberry and tiramisu. For a caffeine boost, try the half cocoa-half coffee (café au lait with cocoa powder and steamed milk). All drinks can be topped with marshmallows, shredded toasted coconut, sprinkles, house-made whipped cream and more. More info: 516-489-9482, witchesbrewcoffeehouse.site