“This is rather a new entertainment. Its novelty lies in the fact that the beverage served is chocolate, and that chocolate enters into all the refreshments served, such as chocolate wafers, etc. A chocolate lemonade will be a nice addition in hot weather, chocolate bon bon being passed in dainty silver bon-bon baskets.”
Social Etiquette by Maud C. Cooke, (1899)
A few years ago, there was a restaurant in Denver, Colorado that served everything chocolate. There was cocoa powder in the soup, white chocolate in the Mac and Cheese. You might think that sounds horrible, but it was surprisingly delicious. That said, I wouldn’t want to eat there every day. The Chocolataire sounds reminiscent of this. It might be fun for an evening, but if everyone started holding these, I think they would grow old quite fast.
The Chocolataire is a form of entertaining that began at the turn of the century and ended quickly after. I can only find references about it in a couple of places around the turn of the century and no where after 1902. I wanted to include it here because it does sound like a really fun entertainment change of pace to go with something like a game night. Though I find chocolate lemonade to be a dubious element.
In all other things the Chocolataire was run like a tea or coffee. Keep it simple and make sure you have one non chocolate item for the weirdo who doesn’t like chocolate – you can always include fruit and pound cake that can be dipped in chocolate by guests, leaving the chocolate haters to skip the dip, as it were.
I’m sending you all warm, gooey, chocolaty well wishes. Much love, Cheri
