Hot Toddy

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A hot toddy is a classic and warming whiskey cocktail.

Hot Toddy in a handled glass mug.

A hot toddy is a classic and warming whiskey cocktail infused with honey, lemon, and spices. My grandmother swore by it as a cure-all for colds, insomnia, or whatever ails you. But it’s also just the thing to warm yourself up on a chilly evening—especially this year since we’re all freezing our tushies off socializing outdoors.

This hot toddy recipe is adapted from my favorite new cocktail book, Give Me Liberty and Give Me a Drink! by C. Jarrett Dieterle. Full disclosure: Jarrett is my literary agent’s husband, but he is also a talented mixologist as well as a leading national alcohol policy expert. As such, his book is not merely a collection of delicious cocktail recipes but also a rundown of the wildly outdated and wacky liquor laws still on the books today in America. (Did you know that in Utah, cocktails must be mixed behind a barrier called the “Zion curtain” that separates the patrons of the bar from the bartender and blocks the view of drinks being mixed and poured?) If you’re looking for a fun gift for the cocktail lovers in your life, this book would be a great option, especially paired with a bottle of booze.

Cover of the book \"Give Me Liberty and Give Me a Drink!\"

How To Make a Hot Toddy

Hot Toddy ingredients, including honey, bourbon, and lemon.To make a hot toddy, you’ll need bourbon (which is a type of whiskey), honey, lemons, cinnamon sticks, star anise pods, and whole cloves. Simply combine the bourbon, lemon juice, and honey in a mug and add boiling water (use more or less water depending on how strong you’d like your hot toddy to be). Stir until the honey is dissolved and the ingredients are well combined, 10 to 15 seconds. Garnish with the cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise pod. Sip, warm up, and enjoy.

Hot Toddy in a handled glass mug.

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Hot Toddy

A hot toddy is a classic and warming whiskey cocktail.

Servings: 1 drink
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 5 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 oz (¼ cup) bourbon
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Boiling water, to fill a mug (6 to 8 oz)
  • Cinnamon stick for garnish
  • 3 to 4 cloves for garnish
  • 1 star anise pod for garnish

Instructions

  1. Combine the bourbon, lemon juice, and honey in a mug and add the boiling water (use more or less, depending on how strong you'd like the drink to be). Stir until the honey is dissolved and the ingredients are well combined, 10 to 15 seconds. Garnish with the cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise pod.
  2. Note: When serving, I recommend warming up some heavy mugs by first filling them with boiling water. Once they’re nice and toasty, spill out the water and fill with the cocktail. This will help the drinks maintain their cozy warmth a bit longer.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (1 servings)
  • Calories: 207
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Saturated fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 18 g
  • Sugar: 18 g
  • Fiber: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Sodium: 1 mg
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • This looks so delicious and comforting. My fiancé is Scottish and loves a good Hot Toddy. I’ll have to try this recipe out myself! In Puerto Rico, we drink Coquito, a coconut cocktail with Caribbean rum.

    • — Stephanie A. on December 4, 2023
    • Reply
    • My name is Toddy I am glad he likes it. From Patillas.

      • — Toddy on May 12, 2024
      • Reply

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