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edges of reason

bottom of the bottle

from the cellar

A Guide to Chocolate Milk

from the cellar

in good company

edges of reason

bottom of the bottle

A Guide to Chocolate Milk

words

Dominic Ashby

images

No items found.

Adding cocoa to milk has never been about the milk, or the cocoa. It is alchemy, sum-of-it’s-parts, allegorical and promotes better living. Joining the purifying gleam of cold milk with the dark powers of chocolate means tipping the balance of the universe. And that’s ok sometimes.

It exists apart from any other beverage, and I hold it up with illogical irreverence. This guide is garnered from years of experience in the diary section of supermarkets and kiosks throughout Europe and Australia, and is by no means exhaustive. Please reach out if I have missed your favourite.

Best in Show (Finalist for Best Sound When Opening)‍

Cocio

This is the choco-diary par excellence, dominating Danish fridges from København to Kolding. Claiming to constitute nothing more than sugar, cocoa and milk, the bright yellow glass bottles calls to the depths of one’s soul. The texture brings to mind a silky anglaise or fresh cream; the flavour unparalleled. A litre is never enough. I must have gone to chocolate milk heaven, because nothing’s this divine.

Pairs with:

Flæskesteg sandwich (Danish crispy pork, red cabbage and pickles), hotdogs, a hangover, engagement parties, christenings - just about anything.

‍

Most Chuggable:

‍Big M

Reminds me of sweltering summer days and a naughty trip to the milk bar. Nostalgia dialled to 11, and you can feel the sugar crystallising as it goes down.

Pairs with:

Those red lollies that you can’t say the name of, dim sims, potato cakes(!) and all the milk bar trimmings.

‍

Biggest Nostalgia Hit: ‍

Nippy’s

Honourable mention here to the king of all after school treats. First choice was always the iced coffee flavour, for that smattering of caffeine when it meant so much. But the chocolate flavour did well, if a bit malty for my taste. So did the honeycomb and the strawberry. Good times.

Pairs with:

BabyBels and String Cheese. Things with chicken salt added.

‍

Best Sound When Opening:‍

Pucko

Sweden’s answer to Cocio, this feels like the slightly more conservative cousin to Denmark’s finest. Overtly sweet, without the texture to back it up, but satiating all the same. A warm blanket, if a bit scratchy.

Pairs with:

Kotbullar, (Swedish meatballs), Ikea trips, and assembling flat pack furniture.

‍

Most Food-Friendly:‍

Chocomel

Cocio’s Dutch cousin with a decidedly svelte but all-too malty palate. Just not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate the idea and the execution.

Pairs with:

Haribo Stjernemix for maximum insulin spikeage.

‍

Best User Interface:‍

Sipahh Straws

One from the vaults - this is a mythical pull. It shouldn’t technically be part of this list, but who cares about that? A short, sharp pang of ecstasy that dies out as quickly as it began. Where did you go, my lovely?

Pairs with:

Zooper Doopers and Dad mowing the lawn.

‍

Best Hangover Cure:‍

Matilde

Cocio’s second cousin twice removed, Matilde is often the fourth choice when choosing chocolate drinking experiences. A thin, watery soup of DHT milk and a suggestion of choc, this pales in comparison to many others on this list. The fact that it is easy to drink may well be its only redeeming feature.

Pairs with:

Swimming in warm, hazy canals at the end of summer; tepid watermelon.

‍

Special Mention: Powders for Mixing

No substitute for the preformed perfection of the above, these can still pack a punch, if used in the right way.

‍

Milo

The Aussie poster boy, always loud and proud, but I’m starting to wonder if my roots are real at all? Milo makes me question everything: I enjoy it, love the texture, the crunch. But something in me knows it isn’t real. The fact that you have to use at least half the tin for an enjoyable drinking experience doesn’t help either. This isn’t chocolate milk as I know it. Something about it feels supplanted, and maybe that says more about me than the drink itself.

Pairs with:

Paddle Pops, Lamingtons and all manner of treasured national fare.

‍

O’Boy

Milo’s sexy, silky cousin, only to be mixed with the finest grass-fed grass-finished stuff you can find. Enough sugar to kill a calf, and about as much nutritional value as a handful of sand, this is the ticket to nirvana.

Pairs with:

Very, very good milk from Swedish dairy Norrmejeri.

‍

Nesquik

Reminds me of casserole and overcooked green beans, for some reason. A run of the mill powdered beverage. Nothing to see here.

Pairs with:

Suburbia and white bread sandwiches.

published

A hopeless hospitality addict and writer, Dominic Ashby is based in Copenhagen – where he cut his teeth as a wine director. Now, he prefers performative reading by the canal, the occasional shift on a busy floor, and writing about food and bev through lived experience

No items found.

from the cellar

in good company

edges of reason

bottom of the bottle

A Guide to Chocolate Milk

words

Dominic Ashby

images

No items found.

Adding cocoa to milk has never been about the milk, or the cocoa. It is alchemy, sum-of-it’s-parts, allegorical and promotes better living. Joining the purifying gleam of cold milk with the dark powers of chocolate means tipping the balance of the universe. And that’s ok sometimes.

It exists apart from any other beverage, and I hold it up with illogical irreverence. This guide is garnered from years of experience in the diary section of supermarkets and kiosks throughout Europe and Australia, and is by no means exhaustive. Please reach out if I have missed your favourite.

Best in Show (Finalist for Best Sound When Opening)‍

Cocio

This is the choco-diary par excellence, dominating Danish fridges from København to Kolding. Claiming to constitute nothing more than sugar, cocoa and milk, the bright yellow glass bottles calls to the depths of one’s soul. The texture brings to mind a silky anglaise or fresh cream; the flavour unparalleled. A litre is never enough. I must have gone to chocolate milk heaven, because nothing’s this divine.

Pairs with:

Flæskesteg sandwich (Danish crispy pork, red cabbage and pickles), hotdogs, a hangover, engagement parties, christenings - just about anything.

‍

Most Chuggable:

‍Big M

Reminds me of sweltering summer days and a naughty trip to the milk bar. Nostalgia dialled to 11, and you can feel the sugar crystallising as it goes down.

Pairs with:

Those red lollies that you can’t say the name of, dim sims, potato cakes(!) and all the milk bar trimmings.

‍

Biggest Nostalgia Hit: ‍

Nippy’s

Honourable mention here to the king of all after school treats. First choice was always the iced coffee flavour, for that smattering of caffeine when it meant so much. But the chocolate flavour did well, if a bit malty for my taste. So did the honeycomb and the strawberry. Good times.

Pairs with:

BabyBels and String Cheese. Things with chicken salt added.

‍

Best Sound When Opening:‍

Pucko

Sweden’s answer to Cocio, this feels like the slightly more conservative cousin to Denmark’s finest. Overtly sweet, without the texture to back it up, but satiating all the same. A warm blanket, if a bit scratchy.

Pairs with:

Kotbullar, (Swedish meatballs), Ikea trips, and assembling flat pack furniture.

‍

Most Food-Friendly:‍

Chocomel

Cocio’s Dutch cousin with a decidedly svelte but all-too malty palate. Just not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate the idea and the execution.

Pairs with:

Haribo Stjernemix for maximum insulin spikeage.

‍

Best User Interface:‍

Sipahh Straws

One from the vaults - this is a mythical pull. It shouldn’t technically be part of this list, but who cares about that? A short, sharp pang of ecstasy that dies out as quickly as it began. Where did you go, my lovely?

Pairs with:

Zooper Doopers and Dad mowing the lawn.

‍

Best Hangover Cure:‍

Matilde

Cocio’s second cousin twice removed, Matilde is often the fourth choice when choosing chocolate drinking experiences. A thin, watery soup of DHT milk and a suggestion of choc, this pales in comparison to many others on this list. The fact that it is easy to drink may well be its only redeeming feature.

Pairs with:

Swimming in warm, hazy canals at the end of summer; tepid watermelon.

‍

Special Mention: Powders for Mixing

No substitute for the preformed perfection of the above, these can still pack a punch, if used in the right way.

‍

Milo

The Aussie poster boy, always loud and proud, but I’m starting to wonder if my roots are real at all? Milo makes me question everything: I enjoy it, love the texture, the crunch. But something in me knows it isn’t real. The fact that you have to use at least half the tin for an enjoyable drinking experience doesn’t help either. This isn’t chocolate milk as I know it. Something about it feels supplanted, and maybe that says more about me than the drink itself.

Pairs with:

Paddle Pops, Lamingtons and all manner of treasured national fare.

‍

O’Boy

Milo’s sexy, silky cousin, only to be mixed with the finest grass-fed grass-finished stuff you can find. Enough sugar to kill a calf, and about as much nutritional value as a handful of sand, this is the ticket to nirvana.

Pairs with:

Very, very good milk from Swedish dairy Norrmejeri.

‍

Nesquik

Reminds me of casserole and overcooked green beans, for some reason. A run of the mill powdered beverage. Nothing to see here.

Pairs with:

Suburbia and white bread sandwiches.

published

August 2026

A hopeless hospitality addict and writer, Dominic Ashby is based in Copenhagen – where he cut his teeth as a wine director. Now, he prefers performative reading by the canal, the occasional shift on a busy floor, and writing about food and bev through lived experience

No items found.

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Veraison's "Internatty" guides are a tool for navigating the broader world through a local lens. Our favourite discoveries from across the globe.

We published a lot of wonderful writing from friends and colleagues back in Veraison's days as a physical publication, and we wanted to give some of it a permanent home. Our "From The Cellar" articles are a curation of our favourite pieces from Veraison's print days, brought online for you.

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"BYO Club" is Darryl's routine roundup of the best spots to bring your best botts (and friends, of course). Each BYO Club Guide is compiled with a different theme in mind.

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