Time for a Drink: Hot Toddy
Time for a break in the holiday madness. While many of us are finishing shopping and wrapping, it’s good to take some time away from the holiday preparations.
That’s where the hot toddy comes in. True, the toddy is echt seasonal: The weather is ranging from cold and crisp to windy, drippy, and frigid, and at times like these a toddy is essential medicine. But it’s also quite simple, a welcome contrast to the appley, cranberry-laden holiday drinks we had in November, and a prelude to the richer, heavier drinks of Christmas itself.
As if this wasn’t enough, the toddy is engagingly flexible: While most people prefer theirs with a good dose of Scotch (this is one of the few mixed drinks where a single-malt is not only appropriate but desirable), a nice Irish whiskey works well; bourbon and rye can also do a suitable job, and a toddy made with a good dark rum has a special kind of appeal (and while I haven’t tried one yet, word has it that a toddy made with a rich Holland-style gin is a not undesirable thing).
While Christmas is almost here, there’s no need to dive into the eggnog right away. Fortify yourself for the last push before Thursday with a hot toddy, one of the best winter warmers known to mankind.
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
Hot Toddy
Ingredients
2 ounces Scotch whisky (or Irish, or other spirit of choice)
3 to 4 ounces boiling water
1 teaspoon sugar
Procedure
Rinse a heavy mug with boiling water, then add sugar. Add water and stir until sugar is dissolved, then add whisky or your chosen spirit.
Options: This is all you need for a decent toddy, though some people prefer to twiddle with the controls a bit. Some choose to grate a bit of nutmeg atop a finished toddy, while others like to add a swath of lemon peel and perhaps a clove or two to the mix. For sweetener, some people like to use honey for the richness; I find the honey’s flavor distracting from the whiskey, and prefer to use a rich demerara sugar, which gives the drink a nice body.
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9 Comments:
toddys are the best thing abour winter and the only good thing about being sick. i like mine with a squirt of angostura biters.
coolname at 6:06PM on 12/19/08
I add a slice of lemon studded with whole cloves. It's a pretty presentation, and the clove and lemon add a nice aromatic touch.
mandybrown at 6:39PM on 12/19/08
I've had hot toddys topped with a whipped egg white and sugar mixture (almost like a meringue) and some fresh nutmeg. Is the egg white stuff a traditional topping or am I describing a completely different drink?
johnnytakes5 at 6:50PM on 12/19/08
i'm having a toddy right now. jack daniels, lemon juice, splash of angostura biters, honey, hot water. i have a sore throat and it is helping.
coolname at 9:13PM on 12/19/08
I likke to add a slice of lemon too. And substitute honey for sugar. Mmmmm
CJ McD at 8:49AM on 12/20/08
I'll bet it would be awesome with B&B.
buffy at 4:19PM on 12/20/08
It's 20 below with windchill today so I might need one of these...
saraann at 9:20AM on 12/21/08
In Scotland we add a slice of lemon, some honey and a couple cloves - a perfect cold cure!
When visiting my mother a few years ago my husband got really sick with the cold and we found an old Scottish recipe book which made the toddy with hot milk and an egg - we made it for him and it didn't look too great but he drunk it all (I may have added more whiskey than the recipe called for!) and it certainly helped him sleep!
Iheartcupcakes at 12:54PM on 12/21/08
We usually only have them when we feel a cold coming on, preferring Canadian whiskey or Bajan rum (Mount Gay) with a bit of ginger. Haven't thought about using whisky (single malt) as it seems a shame to water it down that much. Either way, if we have a cold, the toddy either makes it go away ... or we don't seem to care so much. :)
foodoo at 11:28AM on 12/22/08