What is a hot toddy?
There’s nothing quite like a hot toddy to soothe the winter chill in our bones is there? The history of the hot toddy is by no means set in stone. In India, toddy has long been a fermented palm tree sap concoction, and by the end of the 1700s, it came to mean, ‘a beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices’ in the United Kingdom.
One man credited with its popularity is Robert Bentley Todd, an Irish physician who prescribed hot brandy, cinnamon, syrup, and water in the 1830s to his patients with flu. Now that sounds better than tablets to us!
These days, the winter warmer is loved by many to jump-start mornings, soothe colds, and sore throats, as a nightcap, or just to heat up during the chilly nights. So versatile! And the good thing about that is, there are tonnes of room to adapt the recipes...
So, without further ado, here are our best hot toddy variations, whatever you’re in the mood for, and even if you don’t like whisky!
For the traditionalists: The Original Hot Toddy
Some recipes are as simple as whisky + sugar + water, and others read more like full shopping lists, so we’ve kept it fairly simple with cloves and cinnamon for mellow and warming spice, honey for sweetness, lemon juice to cut through and of course, a gorgeous splash of whisky at the heart of everything. Balanced and beautiful, it’s soothing comfort in a mug.
Ingredients
1 clove
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
100ml-150ml hot water
35ml Whisky (Johnnie Walker Black Label is great)
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
Lemon wheel (garnish)
Method
Grab your favourite mug or handled glass and add the water. Mix in the whisky, lemon juice and honey until it’s completely disappeared. Chuck in the clove and the cinnamon if you like it. Most important of all, have a taste and adapt it how you like! You can add some sugar, or some more lemon, or even a splash of whisky if it’s not got enough oomph.
For the bourbon drinkers: Ginger Toddy
Bourbon works just as well as Scotch in a Hot Toddy, so it’s just down to your preference, but we love it with the ginger here. Those warming spicy notes, with vanilla and caramel bourbon hints create a delicious bakery feel to the cocktail. This is guaranteed to leave a lovely zing in your mouth and warm you down to your toes!
Ingredients
35ml bourbon
15ml ginger syrup
100ml hot water
Lemon wheel (garnish)
Method
Combine the bourbon, ginger syrup and hot water in your favourite mug and stir thoroughly, adding a splash of lemon juice if you want extra zing! Then enjoy!
For the cider drinkers: The Hot Apple Toddy
Now be aware that this has a serious kick to it because the water is being swapped out for apple cider. You can still add cinnamon and a clove if you wish, but if you’ve used a good cider then there should be bold enough flavours without. Along similar lines, if you’d prefer an even fruiter version, use apple brandy instead of whisky! Oh so satisfying and that subtle tang is lovely.
Ingredients
1 tsp honey
100ml apple cider
35ml whisky or apple brandy
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
Method
Heat up your cider in a saucepan and pour this into your mug or glass coated with honey at the bottom. Add your whisky and optional spices and stir well.
For the gin lovers: Hot Gin Toddy
There are even options for you gin lovers out there. The Hot Gin Toddy relies on the beautiful botanicals in the gin, with the heat opening them up and giving them a new lease of life. It’s just as warming, but with a pleasantly aromatic profile that’s surprisingly light and refreshing too.
Top Tip: Dry gin will work better because the botanicals tend to react to hot water more reliably.
Ingredients
1 tsp sugar
35ml gin (dry)
100ml hot water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick (garnish)
1 lemon wheel (garnish)
Method
Super simple, just mix everything really well with the hot water and give it a final stir with the cinnamon stick. Make sure the water isn’t boiling hot because this may be too harsh on the gin.
For the rum drinkers: Hot Rum Toddy
Rum fits so nicely into the Hot Toddy recipe, with those warming spices and underlying sweetness accentuated beautifully. Whilst Scotch has always been the Hot Toddy go-to in the UK, rum used to be far more readily available in America, so this or brandy was usually used. Any rum works, but we would suggest dark rum for that deep caramel flavour, and the spicier notes.
Ingredients
1 tbsp honey
35ml rum (preferably dark)
100ml hot water
1 cinnamon stick
Lemon wedge (garnish)
Method
Stir together everything so that the honey is completely dissolved and drop in the cinnamon stick giving it plenty of time to diffuse. Garnish with a lemon wedge to finish, and squeeze in a little juice if you prefer! Truly a fireside sipper that gives the original a run for its money.
For the vodka drinkers: Toffee Apple Hot Toddy
This may ring some bells because we recommended it as the perfect Bonfire Night cocktail when Lewis Stairs, founder of Sunday Cocktail Club joined us in Ep.96 of the Bring a Bottle Podcast. It’s gorgeously smooth, with that slightly sweeter bourbon intertwining with crisp toffee vodka. The apple juice completes the hot toffee apple vibe, and it’s a fantastic option if you’ve got a sweeter tooth.
Ingredients
25ml toffee vodka
50ml bourbon
40ml apple juice
Splash of lemon (optional)
Cinnamon stick (garnish)
Method
All you’ve got to do is heat everything up in a saucepan until it’s hot throughout, but not bubbling. Keep some cool apple juice behind to cool it down if needs be. We love the very subtle sour edge that the lemon provides, but feel free to leave it out – it’s your creation! Feel free to check out Lewis making it here.
For the non-alcoholic drinkers: Apple Berry Toddy
There are lots of alcohol-free hot toddy variations using different types of tea, but we wanted something that still has the boozy profile to it... just without the booze itself. Step up Crossip Rich Berry, perfect for mulled wines but also hot toddies. It’s packed with rich blackberries and cherries, and a lovely layer of spice. Obviously, there isn’t quite the power that comes from a spirit, so swap out the water for some lovely hot apple juice and it’s a warming winner with heaps of flavour.
Ingredients
25ml Crossip Rich Berry
125ml Apple Juice
Lemon (garnish)
Method
Like every hot toddy, it’s easy to pull together. Just heat everything together and decant! A little squeeze and garnish of lemon is a nice finishing touch. The only difficult bit is trying not to finish it all in one sitting!
If you are looking for more delicious drink ideas this January, why not check out our recommendations for the best no and low alcohol drinks?
Words by Calum Ecroyd
