Hot Toddy
Prep time:
The grandmother’s remedy that turns out to be a decent cocktail. Hot, sweet and sour at once, with just enough whisky to show without burning.
Ingredients
- 50 ml whisky (blended Scotch, Irish or bourbon)
- 15 ml honey
- 15 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 120 ml hot water, not boiling
- A lemon slice and a clove
Preparation
- Warm the glass or mug with hot water and tip it out. Cold glass steals half the drink’s heat.
- Dissolve the honey with a little hot water in the bottom. Poured onto the whisky it just sits there.
- Add the lemon juice and the whisky.
- Top with hot water at around 70-80°C. Do not let it boil.
- Garnish with the lemon slice, clove stuck into it.
Bartender’s notes
Which whisky should you use?
It is what changes the drink most. A blended Scotch is the classic choice and the safest. An Irish whiskey comes out softer and a little sweeter, and it is the version most associated with the winter remedy. With bourbon it turns frankly sweet, because its vanilla adds to the honey. The one thing to avoid is a peated Islay: hot honey and smoke do not get along.
Does it help with a cold?
The honest answer is that it cures nothing. What it does is soothe: the steam clears, the lemon and honey settle the throat, and the warmth helps. It is the oldest excuse in the world for having a whisky, and it is still a good one — but that is what it is, not medicine.
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