Hot Toddy Recipes: Great Warm Cocktails for Cold Winter Nights
When you're looking for a cocktail to help keep you warm on a cold winter evening, a hot toddy might be preferable to a traditional chilled adult beverage. There are many as many different ways to prepare hot toddies as there are different types of liquors.
Some people argue that toddies have to be made with bourbon, while others assert that brandy is the only legitimate choice for a toddy. Others prefer rum, gin, scotch, and other types of liquor. It really just boils down to a matter of personal preference. The basic recipe for a hot toddy is to combine boiling water with some type of hard liquor, lemon, and sugar.
Hot toddy techniques include the following:
Hot Whiskey Toddy
Ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 shots of whiskey (typically Jack Daniels or Crown Royal)
Instructions:
Bring water to a boil. Squeeze 1/2 of the lemon into each of two beverage mugs or other heat-safe glasses. Add a tablespoon of honey to each mug. Pour a cup of the water into each mug, and stir. When honey is combined with lemon and water, add a shot of bourbon to each cup and stir. Enjoy!
Hot Brandy Toddy
Ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- 2 sugar cubes
- 2 shots brandy
Instructions:
Bring water to a boil in your microwave or in a medium saucepan. Place one sugar cube into each of two large mugs or other heat resistant cups. Stir 1/2 the water into each drink container, and stir to dissolve sugar cub. Add a shot of brandy, and make a toast!
Variation: Some people like to squeeze a very small amount of fresh lemon juice into their hot brandy toddies. Others use a teaspoon of granulated sugar or confectioners sugar instead of sugar cubes. What matters in the long run is that you combine a sweetener with hot water and brandy.
Hot Rum Toddy
Ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 shots of dark rum
Instructions:
Bring water to a boil in your microwave or in a medium saucepan. Squeeze 1/2 of the lemon into each of two big coffee mugs or other heat resistant beverage containers. Add one tablespoon of honey to each mug. Stir 1/2 the water into each mug, and stir. When honey is combined with lemon and water, add a shot of rum to each cup and stir. Enjoy!
Variation: You can add a little butter to each mug to enjoy a hot buttered rum toddy. You might also want to add a sprinkle of cinnamon to your toddy.
What's Next?
If you enjoy these hot toddies, don't stop here. You're really only limited by your imagination and your liquor cabinet. Who knows? You might invent a cocktail that spurs the next great toddy debate. God a cool idea for a hot toddy? Let's hear it in the comments section!
