When the weather gets cold and there’s an icy bite in the air, a Hot Toddy will warm up your freezing bones.
We’ve all been under the weather at some point in the year, let alone our lives. The sniffles, or a scratchy throat have troubled us. Sometimes a cough or body aches keep us in bed as the snow falls outside. As kids, we’d be given our Children’s Tylenol, cough syrup or VapoRub to help us recover quicker. As grownups, we often go straight for a Hot Toddy.
The best part about a Hot Toddy, which is also tonight’s drink, is that you don’t have to be sick to have one. You can be feeling perfectly fine and sitting with a good book by a roaring fire and still enjoy the warmth of the whiskey and honey elixir. A cold remedy? Yes, it is. A soothing and relaxing tipple? It’s that too.
The history of this recipe is said to go as far back as the 1610s, in British colonial India. The word toddy could come from the Hindi word “taddy”, which describes a fermented palm sap drink. By 1786 the first written recipe for the Hot Toddy appeared, calling for a blend of alcohol, hot water, various spices and sugars. In 18th-century Scotland, doctors would prescribe the concoction to treat the common cold, and Irish physician Robert Bentley Todd is said to have done the same with a brandy, cinnamon and sugar mixture.
While we may not know who exactly has the proper claim to the Hot Toddy’s creation, we can be grateful it exists when the leaves start falling and our noses begin to run.
What Is The Best Whiskey To Use In A Hot Toddy?
I’ve made toddies with rye whiskey, Irish whiskey, Jack Daniels and even bourbon from time to time. They’ve all been great. The lemon juice, tea and honey mix together beautifully with any whiskey you choose, as if they were meant for each other. I tend to lean towards either a spicy rye whiskey or a smoky and caramel-tinged bourbon. Both will have that soothing bite to help you feel better if a cold has gotten a hold of you.
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water
- Tea bag flavor of your preference
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 ounces whiskey or bourbon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed juice from half a lemon
- A slice of lemon for garnish
Instructions
- Fill your mug with hot water to preheat it. After letting it sit for a couple of minutes, dispose of the water.
- Refill the mug halfway with hot water and place the tea bag inside. Allow the tea to infuse for 3 to 5 minutes. Once done, remove the tea bag.
- Add the honey to the tea and stir continuously until it fully integrates.
- Add the whiskey or bourbon, and the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir thoroughly.
- Garnish with a lemon slice and serve warm.
Nutrition
What kind of glassware and garnish is used?
Your favorite tea or coffee mug is a good choice to drink your Hot Toddy out of, especially since this beverage is just that… hot! You can squeeze in a little extra lemon juice with a wedge for garnish, as well as popping in some cinnamon sticks.
Can a Hot Toddy Really Cure a Cold?
While it can provide some congestion relief and relax you—one of the Hot Toddy’s nicknames is Southern Cough Syrup—this beverage is not a cure-all for any ailments you might have.
Similar Wintery Drinks to the Hot Toddy
As I mentioned before, you don’t have to have a fever or start coughing up a storm to drink a Hot Toddy. You can enjoy some time on the ski slopes and retire for the evening to the lodge for a few of them to warm you up. Or maybe something else catches your eye, and you might be in the mood for a totally different seasonal dram. Check some of these out to see which one keeps your own fires burning.
- Coquito – A creamy and coconut-flavored Christmas tradition.
- Mulled Wine Sangria – A robust and spicy winter tipple.
- Glögg – A warm Scandinavian spiced wine, perfect for those cold nights.
- Spiked Eggnog – Don’t start the holiday decorations without a glass of this potent favorite.
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