Hot Toddy
Whisky, honey, lemon and hot water, with a little spice. The old winter remedy, and a good drink in its own right.
- MethodHot
- GlassHeatproof glass mug
- IceNone (served up)
- Strengthabout 9.2% ABV
- BaseWhiskey
- Tastesweet, spicy, sour
Recipe
| 45 ml 1½ oz | Blended Scotch whisky or Bourbon or Irish whiskey or Cognac (VSOP) |
| 15 ml ½ oz | Honey syrup (3:1 honey to water) |
| 15 ml ½ oz | Fresh lemon juice |
| 120 ml 4 oz | Hot water |
Garnish. A lemon wheel (studded with a few cloves if you like) and a cinnamon stick to stir with.
Method
- Warm a heatproof glass or mug with hot water and empty it.
- Add the honey syrup, lemon juice and whiskey.
- Top with hot (not boiling) water and stir.
- Add the lemon wheel and cinnamon stick and leave it a minute for the spice to come out.
About the Hot Toddy
A Hot Toddy is spirit, sweetening and hot water, usually with lemon and a little spice. Whisky is the most common base, but brandy and rum work too. It should taste warm, gently sweet and lemony, with the spirit present but not harsh; the hot water carries the aromas straight to your nose.
History
Documented
The word comes from India: English traders borrowed the Hindi word for fermented palm sap in the early 1600s. By the second half of the 18th century "toddy" in Britain meant a drink of spirit, hot water and sugar, and it was a familiar drink in Scotland and colonial America. American bar books of the 19th century, Jerry Thomas's among them, print toddies made with whiskey, brandy and apple brandy, both hot and cold.
Legend and lore
The drink is sometimes credited to Robert Bentley Todd, a 19th-century Irish physician said to have prescribed hot brandy with sugar and cinnamon. The word was in use long before he was born, so he cannot have given the drink its name.
Disputed or unclear: When "toddy" first meant a hot drink of spirit is not exact; sources give dates between the 1720s and the 1780s.
Variations
- Irish Coffee. Whiskey and sugar in hot coffee under a layer of cream.
- Hot Buttered Rum. Rum, sugar, spice and a pat of butter in hot water.
- Penicillin. A cold, shaken modern drink built on the same whisky, honey and lemon idea.
Bartender's notes
- Water just off the boil is best; boiling water drives off the aromas and makes the alcohol smell sharp.
- Taste before serving and adjust with more honey or lemon; there is no fixed balance.
