January 11th is National Hot Toddy Day! A hot toddy is a delicious drink made with honey, lemon, hot water, and the spirit of your choice (usually whiskey, brandy, or rum). It’s the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter day, and it’s said that a few sips can also relieve cold or flu symptoms.
Hot toddies originated in Scotland sometime during the 18th century. While the exact details are unknown, historians believe that the recipe was developed to make the taste of Scotch whiskey more palatable. One theory suggests that the word “toddy” evolved from “Tod’s well” (also known as Todian Spring), the water supply for Edinburgh.
The secret of hot toddies is that they’re actually way easier than other cocktails—all you need is a kettle. Since you’re using hot water, you don’t need to make any kind of fancy syrup; your sweeteners will dissolve into the drink with just a quick stir. The steam also carries all the aromatics right up to your happy nose, meaning any ingredient you drop in a toddy will immediately come through in the aroma. Put a cinnamon stick in a cold drink and it won’t do much (at least not right away). In a toddy? Much different story.
Some cocktails are all about balance, and that means precision—a teaspoon of that, a few drops of this, a mist of something else applied from exactly six inches away. But the hot toddy is a forgiving cocktail, and it seems to reward improvisation like few other drinks. Don’t like rye? Try bourbon, or skip the whiskey altogether (heresy!) and use brandy, then imagine you’re being rescued from an avalanche in the Swiss Alps by a friendly St. Bernard. We’ve even seem some recipes that substitute tequila! Give yourself permission to experiment.
Want to try making a toddy of your own? According to Town and Country magazine, here is how you make “a classic Hot Toddy” in only five minutes.
Ingredients
8 oz. hot water
1 tea bag
2 oz. whiskey (bourbon works best, but feel free to use any whiskey, or even rum)
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 lemon slice
Directions
* Pour hot water into mug and steep tea for two to three minutes.
* Remove tea bag and add honey, whiskey, and lemon juice.
* Stir.
* Garnish with lemon slice.
Voila! It’s Hot Toddy Time!
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Photo Credit: Brent Hofacker / Shutterstock.com