Classic Hot Toddy Recipe - How to Make » The Ultimate Guide! (2024)

FAQs

What is the ingredients of a hot toddy? ›

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).

While the alcohol in one drink is great for falling asleep and feeling refreshed, one too many and the sleep you receive won't be that refreshing at all, and could cause you to wake up the next morning with worse symptoms than you had before. So, stick to one, and you should be good to go.

A hot toddy, also known as hot whiskey in Ireland, and occasionally called southern cough syrup within the Southern United States, is typically a mixed drink made of liquor and water with honey (or in some recipes, sugar), lemon, herbs (such as tea) and spices, and served hot.

You can use whatever tea you want for a hot toddy, and any full-bodied, flavorful tea that can stand up well to the strong flavors of spirits and lemon is a good option.

Mulled wine ranks among the best drinks for soothing sore throat and cough. Red wine with oranges or lemons, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, cardamom, or honey is warmed to serve as a remedy against cold.

The ingredients in a hot toddy have been shown to have cough-suppressing properties. Alcohol isn't needed in the recipe to experience these benefits. Consuming warm water, lemon, and honey is the key to symptom relief. Additional items can be added to taste, such as tea, clove, and ginger.

And while whiskey is the classic Old Fashioned base, you can substitute it with rum, brandy, applejack, reposado tequila, barrel-aged gin or genever. And instead of a simple syrup, use honey or small amount of liquor on the sweeter side, like an amaro.

Preparation: Put bourbon, honey, and lemon juice in a 6-ounce mug. Top off with hot water and stir until honey is dissolved. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Experts say yes — sort of. The folklore goes that a hot toddy – the alcoholic drink composed of hot water, lemon juice, honey and whiskey or rum or brandy – can soothe your sore throat or clear your winter cold-induced congestion.

Best consumed in small doses and infrequently, Hot Toddies can only be served as as medicine to those 21 and over, should not replace a medical professional's advice, and are best followed by a tall glass of water, some herbal tea, and plenty of rest and TLC.

Why does a hot toddy make you sleep? ›

Spirits combined with hot water (or herbal tea) honey and lemon is a beverage that helps clear up your cold symptoms and makes you feel toasty and cozy. According to folklore, by the time you finish the drink you will be breathing better, and the alcohol will start to make you drowsy so you can rest easy.

We like to add the liquor to our hot toddies last. The reason is if we added it first, the boiling water would start to evaporate away some of the alcohol. We have no idea how much, but we paid for full-strength whiskey and we're not prepared to lose any of it to the atmosphere!

The British declared the drink as their own, which is why it's a staple in pubs throughout England. During the cold and damp winters, it became common for consumers to pour hot water into their scotch or whiskey. With time, spices were thrown into the mix resulting in the classic we know today.

The hot toddy is not one of those drinks that you down simply to get drunk. It is more of an experience and a way to relax, so its alcohol content may be irrelevant for the most part. However, for the curious drinker, you can expect it to weigh in around 6 percent ABV (12 proof).

Can Hot Toddies Really Cure Colds? While Hot Toddies have been used for generations as a natural way to combat cold symptoms, there is no definite research to prove that they can replace that bottle of cold medicine once and for all. They do, however, certainly provide comfort.

The ingredients in a hot toddy have been shown to have cough-suppressing properties. Alcohol isn't needed in the recipe to experience these benefits. Consuming warm water, lemon, and honey is the key to symptom relief. Additional items can be added to taste, such as tea, clove, and ginger.

Experts say yes — sort of. The folklore goes that a hot toddy – the alcoholic drink composed of hot water, lemon juice, honey and whiskey or rum or brandy – can soothe your sore throat or clear your winter cold-induced congestion. And many people are believers.

The alcohol can help clear mucus by dilating blood vessels in the upper body. The steam from the hot water might also help to clear congestion. Whiskey might also cause drowsiness, helping you to get more rest.