Make that 34 Mondays in a row. That’s the better part of a year. It all started Monday, April 13. I remember April 13. I had been engaged for almost a month, and it was the first Passover I’d spent away from my parents since college. What more is there to say about that date?

I pulled out 51D Hot après-ski beverage: COCOA for numerous reasons.

First reason is that I like hot cocoa better than I like hot chocolate. There is a huge difference. I make hot cocoa with cocoa powder (I like Scharffen Berger), sugar, and milk. Pretty simple. Either marshmallows or whipped cream are good toppers. Both is overkill. Irish cream can be a good addition.

Hot chocolate can have ingredients like condensed milk, chocolate chips, heavy whipping cream, sugar, and more along those lines. Hot chocolate can glisten. It’s good news-bad news. You know it’s going to taste amazing. It also might kill you.

Hot chocolate is not heated chocolate milk.

I have gone to Starbucks and asked for iced hot chocolate. I have done this in more than one state and in more than one country. When my drink is ready, I have often gotten iced chocolate milk.

In London, I asked for iced hot chocolate. The French barista was not having it. He asked me why I didn’t just get chocolate milk. He makes drinks and doesn’t know that they’re entirely different beverages? I told him that I was certain of my order and that I enjoy the combination. He told me, “Uwhen yu don’t like eet, I will not mek anozer!” He seemed even more unhappy when I said that the drink he made for me was perfect.

A friend of mine told me a way around this drink-ordering game: Just order a hot chocolate and a cup of ice. Doing it that way means more beverage and guaranteed success.

Now to today’s theme!

17A Traveled by subway?: WENTDOWNTHETUBE
27A “Would you call the elevator for me?”: CANIGETALIFT
48A “Hand me a flashlight”?: PASSTHETORCH
63A Use French fries as legal tender?: CASHINONESCHIPS

Pretty solid idiom answers.

Finished this one in 8:29.