Manam is turning chocolate into Hyderabad’s next great beverage

For the longest time, mentioning a chocolate drink conjured up just one very specific image: a steaming cup of hot chocolate enjoyed on a chilly evening. However, the craft chocolate scene in Hyderabad is rapidly shifting that narrative, reimagining cacao as a far more versatile and dynamic beverage ingredient.

At the forefront of this evolution is the award-winning Manam Chocolate Karkhana in Banjara Hills, where the new Manam Chocolate Beverage Bar opened to a crowd of eager chocoholics on August 5, Wednesday.

“One of the biggest inspirations for us to create the Manam Chocolate Beverage Bar was that in the past, everyone only made one type of chocolate drink. It is a thick 54% dark hot chocolate made with a lot of whipped cream and everywhere you go, you get the same version. We wanted to change that as here people get to go on their own journey. Our goal was to reimagine what a chocolate beverage can be and showcase just how versatile, nuanced and exciting Indian craft chocolate can be in every cup,” said Ruby Islam, Head Product & Innovation, Manam Chocolate.

Launch of the Beverage Bar at Manam Chocolate Karkhana

Designed as a cozy, interactive 100 sq. ft. space, the new Beverage Bar centers around a striking L-shaped counter clad in stacked terracotta accents inspired by the brand’s signature chocolate tablets. Directly overhead, an artistic ceiling mural by Namrata Kumar depicts a vibrant cacao harvest scene from West Godavari, grounding the open-counter barista experience in its Indian agricultural origins. Here, drinks are brought to life live- shaken, stirred, melted, churned, whipped, and poured directly into a cup in under ten minutes.

True to her words, Ruby Islam has crafted a menu of over 30 options that invite visitors to experience cacao far beyond standard hot chocolate. Instead of overwhelming patrons with an exhaustive list, the curated spread highlights imaginative flavor combinations across every temperature and texture. In the hot offerings, Siasat.com recommends the Chilli Milk Chocolate and Pistachio Matcha Latte. While in the cold and iced drinks section of the menu, creations like the Custard Matcha Iced Latte and the water-based Orange Iced Chocolate caught our attention. For those seeking an indulgent dessert-style creation, drinks like the rich Cherry Cheese Shake and Chocolate Chunk Cookie Shake showcase how cacao seamlessly blends with confectionery notes.

When asked about her personal menu recommendations, Ruby Islam shared: “From the menu, my most favourite go-to is the Orange Iced Chocolate. And the second favourite is Chakkarakeli Banana Iced Chocolate. It uses an ingredient that is native, not very exotic but something that is very rooted in nostalgia. In hot chocolate, the Vanilla Malted Milk Chocolate is my favourite as it is very nostalgic. Takes me back to the time we used to have horlicks and bournvita.”

Craft your own beverage

At the center of the bar is the interactive “Craft Your Own Beverage” concept, allowing guests to build a custom creation from scratch. Visitors can sample and select from 14 distinct craft chocolate couvertures, ranging from caramelized white and milk chocolates to 100% dark cacao, before choosing their drink temperature and pairing it with dairy or alternate milks.

Sharing her ultimate custom order tip with Siasat.com, Ruby Islam said, “For chocolate I would choose the 70% dark Andhra Malabar, which is made with two origins- our house fermented West Godavari and Malabar in Kerala. For me, it is a chocolate that is very tart, fruity, and not very sweet, giving it a lot of room to play when paired with almond milk and topped with dark chocolate chips. My key piece of advice to our customers is to be bold and try something even as dark as 80%. People often think anything above milk chocolate is very bitter, but dark chocolate is multi-dimensional- it is about balancing acidity, bitterness, and sweetness. So I say, be bold,”