Friday Night Cocktail: Hot Toddy
14. Jan, 2011 
2 Comments
After the indulgences of the Christmas season, January drinks should be more stripped down, even elemental. The Hot Toddy fits the bill, with the added bonus that it will keep you warm on a cold winter’s night.
Although it survives today almost exclusively in hot form, toddies were once served either hot or cold. A mixture of spirits, sugar and water, the only thing they were missing from the classic definition of a cocktail was bitters. (Those bitters, though, were a quantum leap forward.) Some swear by the medicinal properties of Hot Toddies, but I find that when I have a cold, I stay away from alcohol and stick to orange juice.
The Hot Toddy is not a single recipe so much as it is a template that can be tailored to your mood and what you have on hand. I prefer mine with whisky, but if you favour rum, then by all means use that. Any whisky will do, whether Scotch, American, Irish or Canadian, but the closer you can get to cask strength, the better. (I would drink a lot more Canadian Hot Toddies if I could find more cask-strength Canadian whisky.) Some claim that drinking single malt whisky in any way other than on its own is heresy; these people don’t get invited to my cocktail parties. Better spirits will make better drinks every time.
You can also use various sweeteners (honey, brown sugar), or add some cloves or cinnamon, or top it off with hot apple cider instead of hot water. I used to favour a piece of lemon peel, but I am informed that this is actually a Whisky Skin, not a Hot Toddy. You can even split the difference; one of my favourite variations marries Bourbon and Jamaican rum, and sweetens with Grand Marnier. Mostly, though, when I want a Hot Toddy, I’m in a no-nonsense mood, so I keep things simple: good whisky, a little raw sugar, boiling water.
How to make a Hot Toddy
1.5 – 2 oz. whisky, preferably cask strength
A teaspoon of raw sugar, or to taste
Boiling water
Warm a small mug with hot tap water while the kettle boils. Dump out the warm water, add the spirits and the sugar, and top off with 3-4 ounces of boiling water. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then enjoy.
Matthew Kayahara
For a cold: Juice of one lemon, 1.5 oz bourbon, boiling water, sugar to taste.
For a cold winter night: 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, 1.5 oz cognac, simmering milk, sugar to taste.
For another cold night: 1 tsp butter, 1 tsp brown sugar, a grind or two of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp vanilla, 2 oz dark rum, boiling water.
Is Irish coffee a hot toddy? Mulled wine? Hot apple cider with apple jack?
Skip, I would say that mulled wine definitely isn’t a hot toddy, since it’s not made with spirits. Irish coffee has a better claim, but it, too, fails to qualify – I would say the whipped cream is a defining feature of Irish coffee, and sets it apart from the hot toddy. Hot apple cider with a shot of applejack sounds like a hot toddy to me, though!