It’s National Hot Toddy Day: Let These Variations Keep You Warm

Monday (January 11th) is officially “National Hot Toddy Day.” While admittedly the fake holidays are a little bogus, a Hot Toddy is anything but.

The drink, like most, has a disputed history. Some say it originated in India, where there is a written record of a “taddy” from 1786 that included “alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices.,” others claim it was the creation of a doctor, who started prescribing a combination of brandy, cinnamon, and sugar as a remedy for colds.

Either way, it’s been a relatively common drink for some time now, and while the ability for booze and herbs to actually cure you of anything is arguably quite questionable, the drink can come in handy when you’re nursing a sore throat, or if you’re just looking for a warm tipple to enjoy on a cold winter night.

While the traditional recipe for a Hop Toddy is essentially warm water, whisky, and spices there are tons of different variations of the drink out there now that use a variety of different spirits.

Here a a few great variations of the drink to try if you’re looking for something warm to celebrate National Hot Toddy Day tonight, or if you’re nursing a cold later this season and need a little pick me up.

Belvedere Toddy

Ingredients:

• 1 oz / 30 ml Belvedere Vodka
• 1.5 oz / 45 ml Hot Water
• 1 oz / 30 ml French Fortified Wine
• .5 oz / 15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
• .5 oz / 15 ml Honey
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• Fresh Grated Nutmeg
• Orange Wedge
• Cloves

Method:  Add hot water to heat glass mug, then honey to melt. Add remaining liquid ingredients. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and orange wedge and top with freshly grated nutmeg. Option to pierce orange wedge with 3 cloves.

Golden Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

2 oz ABERFELDY 12 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

½ oz Local Honey Syrup (honey syrup = 1 part honey, 1 part water)

½ oz Lemon Juice

Hot Water (to top)

Method: Add all ingredients to a heatproof glass/mug and add hot water to top. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and lemon wheel.

Tennessee Whiskey Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

2 oz Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey

.5 oz lemon juice

.5 oz spiced brown sugar simple syrup*

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Method: Combine all ingredients in an Irish Coffee mug and stir to combine. Fill the mug with hot water and stir again briefly. Garnish with a clove studded lemon peel.

 *To make the brown sugar syrup, combine one cup brown sugar with one cup water and one tablespoon of ground cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Line a fine strainer with cheesecloth or damp paper towel to strain the cinnamon. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Kentucky Canelazo

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Coopers’ Craft Bourbon
• 5 oz Hot Water
• .75 oz Orange Cinnamon Simple Syrup***
• Dash of Salt
• Dash of Cloves

Method: Heat water to the desired temp, take off heat, combine other ingredients, garnish, serve.

***Orange Cinnamon Simple Syrup Recipe: 

• 1 cup of Orange Juice
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cup of sugar

Instructions: Pour OJ into heated skillet, add 1 cup sugar and stir until dissolved, about 2 mins. Add Cinnamon sticks, cook an additional 2 mins while stirring or until desired consistency is reached, remove from heat. Allow to cool, strain out the cinnamon, and enjoy