Winter was practically made for certain things; dry skin, settlements involving black ice, the coat industry, and of course hot chocolate. After a long day of trudging through the bitter cold outside, nothing feels better than sitting down to a nice warm mug full of good old fashioned hot chocolate. There are a plethora of ways to enjoy this seasonal delight and below is a few of the ways you can personalize your hot chocolate enough to help you forget about the temperature outside.

Vodka is a tried and true addition to this winter staple. The flavor of the hot chocolate hides the taste of plain vodka almost entirely. In addition to that, the millions of flavors that vodka comes in these days can add a unique personal touch to this timeless drink. On the other hand, rum is a solid contender. Spiced rum has a more prominent taste that will make its presence known. It adds a warm cinnamon flavor to your hot cocoa that is bound to get you feeling toasty and ready to sit by the fireplace with your pals.

Hot chocolate is great, no one’s arguing that but it isn’t the healthiest thing you can drink. With that being said, if you choose to use water with those powder packets, you’ll be cutting out some of those calories while still enjoying yourself. If you really want to be cavalier with it and go all out, milk is the sure fire way to make sure that packet of hot chocolate powder mixes perfectly to create a creamy beverage worthy of being consumed. Either way, you’re winning.

This one is a real matter of personal preference. Frozen hot chocolate is gaining a real following these days. It’s exactly what it sounds like and it’s really good. If you want to switch it up for a second when it comes to your hot chocolate desires, this is a viable option. You can test it out for yourself at your local Dunkin Donuts before you commit to traveling to some far off specialty cafe. At the same time, there are loads of traditionalists who believe that hot chocolate is meant to be just that: hot. No question about it. I think it fits in with the old saying “If it’s not broken don’t fix it” and a lot of the time I tend to agree with that.

Marshmallows are an all time classic. They’ve probably made an appearance in every winter-themed movie that’s ever been made and for good reason. They add not only texture to your hot chocolate but also some degree of whimsy. I mean, who doesn’t love watching those lil guys float around as you drink liquid chocolate?

Chocolate and peppermint is a combination that goes back generations. Think about everyone’s favorite Girl Scout cookie “Thin Mints” or those little mint chocolate candies Olive Garden gives you when they bring out the check. Needless to say, people love it. Adding it to hot chocolate is no differentAdding cinnamon to hot cocoa isn’t a universal practice but those who do add it often never look back. If cinnamon is your flavor of choice, this is a great option. It adds some spice to a beverage that can quickly become too sweet.