Hot Toddy
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A hot toddy is a classic and warming whiskey cocktail.
A hot toddy is a classic and warming whiskey cocktail infused with honey, lemon, and spices. My grandmother swore by it as a cure-all for colds, insomnia, or whatever ails you. But it’s also just the thing to warm yourself up on a chilly evening—especially this year since we’re all freezing our tushies off socializing outdoors.
This hot toddy recipe is adapted from my favorite new cocktail book, Give Me Liberty and Give Me a Drink! by C. Jarrett Dieterle. Full disclosure: Jarrett is my literary agent’s husband, but he is also a talented mixologist as well as a leading national alcohol policy expert. As such, his book is not merely a collection of delicious cocktail recipes but also a rundown of the wildly outdated and wacky liquor laws still on the books today in America. (Did you know that in Utah, cocktails must be mixed behind a barrier called the “Zion curtain” that separates the patrons of the bar from the bartender and blocks the view of drinks being mixed and poured?) If you’re looking for a fun gift for the cocktail lovers in your life, this book would be a great option, especially paired with a bottle of booze.
How To Make a Hot Toddy
To make a hot toddy, you’ll need bourbon (which is a type of whiskey), honey, lemons, cinnamon sticks, star anise pods, and whole cloves. Simply combine the bourbon, lemon juice, and honey in a mug and add boiling water (use more or less water depending on how strong you’d like your hot toddy to be). Stir until the honey is dissolved and the ingredients are well combined, 10 to 15 seconds. Garnish with the cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise pod. Sip, warm up, and enjoy.
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Hot Toddy
A hot toddy is a classic and warming whiskey cocktail.
Ingredients
- 2 oz (¼ cup) bourbon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Boiling water, to fill a mug (6 to 8 oz)
- Cinnamon stick for garnish
- 3 to 4 cloves for garnish
- 1 star anise pod for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the bourbon, lemon juice, and honey in a mug and add the boiling water (use more or less, depending on how strong you'd like the drink to be). Stir until the honey is dissolved and the ingredients are well combined, 10 to 15 seconds. Garnish with the cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise pod.
- Note: When serving, I recommend warming up some heavy mugs by first filling them with boiling water. Once they’re nice and toasty, spill out the water and fill with the cocktail. This will help the drinks maintain their cozy warmth a bit longer.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (1 servings)
- Calories: 207
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Sugar: 18 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Sodium: 1 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Made this hot toddy for an outdoor gathering in December in upstate New York. Just simmered the alcohol and spices inside then took a carafe of the alcohol and a electric hot water kettle outside. Everyone filled up their mug with portion of alcohol and hot water per preference.
The hot toddy was perfect .
Quick to prepare – the perfect warm drink on a cold and dreary day!
Delicious. We made a batch and shared with friends around an outdoor fire pit .
I also printed the recipe and made gift baskets with ingredients for homebound friends to enjoy.
This is the best and easiest drink to make, so soothing on a chilly day or when I have a slight sore throat. Love that it calls for two full ounces of booze, too!
I love a good warm drink when it’s cold outside. This drink was wonderful. I love Hot Toddy’s. I made this for my mom and she even loved it. Thank you for the recipe.
Nothing better than a hot Toddy in the winter! Great recipe
Just perfect for these cold snowy days. The star anise is so pretty too.
WARM & WONDERFUL! This was fabulous as all of Jenn’s recipes are. We enjoyed this in December around the holidays, and I plan to make it again soon. It is perfectly spiced, lemony and delicious by the fire with some appetizers with friends, or after dinner. Really a great recipe for a winter beverage! Thank you Jenn!!!!
Just perfect for these cold snowy days. The star anise is so pretty too.
Really enjoyed this recipe during the first huge storm of the season!! Subbed maple syrup for the vegan in the family and it was wonderful..added an unexpected complexity to the drink.
I like the addition of the cloves and the star anise.