Classic Hot Toddy Recipe

This easy Hot Toddy recipe is the perfect winter warmer, made with whisky, honey, fresh lemon juice and hot water. Ready in just 2 minutes, it's light, warming and soothing. With variation suggestions plus my tips for making the best hot toddy.

About This Hot Toddy

A hot toddy is a warming, easy to make drink made with hot water, whisky, lemon juice and honey. It is popular as a non caffeinated drink to enjoy before bedtime but is exceptionally popular in Winter when people want a home remedy to sooth a sore throat or to warm you up after being outside.

Hot Toddys were originally created in India - the word "toddy" comes from the 17th century Hindi word taddy or tari which is a drink made from fermented palm sap. It was brought to the rest of the world by colonial traders and became popular as a way to combat freezing cold European winters. Scottish poet Robert Burns was a frequent imiber of Hot Toddys and frequently wrote about them!

Hot toddys are light and fresh in flavour and not overly sweet. If it has been a cold day we love making them when we get home to warm us up. And within 2 minutes we are cradling something delicious and warm.

Why This Recipe Works and Why You'll Love It

• This winter I've been making hot toddys like it's my newest obsession. Over the last 2 months I've made them every second or third night and this is the result of copious amounts of testing!

• What is a hot toddy made of? I'll show you a classic hot toddy recipe using whisky, lemon juice, honey and water.

• I'll also show you how to make some variations of hot toddys including one with no added sugar featuring apple juice & brandy, a hot toddy using gingerbread spiced rum and a version using cinnamon whisky, brown sugar and cinnamon sticks (great around Christmas time) and a non alcoholic hot toddy!

• I'll share tips on how to make your hot toddy better and stay hot for longer as well as which cups or mugs to use.

• I've also got some variations for you that use different types of alcohol and drinks.

• If you're serving these to guests or just like being a bit fancy, I'll show you some cute garnish ideas too (because we eat with our eyes too)!

• Do hot toddies get you drunk? They can! They contain 1-2 shots of whisky or brandy so keep that in mind and obviously don't give them to kids (they can try my non alcoholic hot toddy recipe here).

• Does a hot toddy actually help a cold? The hot water, honey, steam and lemon help soothe symptoms of a sore throat at least temporarily. I find that if I drink a hot toddy as soon as my throat starts feeling scratchy then it really works.

Video How To Make A Hot Toddy

Ingredients For Hot Toddy

Water - Water straight from the kettle so that the honey melts and you get all of that steamy goodness.

Whisky - Your favourite whisky! I'm not a big whisky drinker but it wasn't too strong in my hot toddy.

Lemon juice - fresh lemon juice is best for a hot toddy.

Honey - Runny honey, great for sore throats and sweetness. Use maple syrup, rice bran syrup or sugar to make it vegan.

Lemon slice and clove - A wheel of lemon studded with a clove adds a cute and practical decoration.

Tips For Making Hot Toddy

1 - Warm the mug or glass before adding the hot water. Pour hot water from a kettle and swirl it around gently and pour out. This helps keep your hot toddy warmer for longer.

2 - Add the honey in first as this needs to dissolve.

3 - Customise with your favourite spices - try cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, star anise, ginger root slices or cardamom pods.

4 - Customise your Hot Toddy with different liquors - swap the whisky for brandy, rum or cognac!

4 - The recipe below is for 1 hot toddy but you can easily double, triple or quadruple it.

5 - The best cups to serve hot toddys in are double-wall insulated glass or ceramic mugs so that you don't burn your hands. Irish coffee glasses are also popular. You can also serve them in aluminium lined copper mugs (avoid copper lined mugs as copper touching food should be avoided in pans, pots and cups).

6 - Other variation ideas: Instead of whisky, try butterscotch schnapps or limoncello. Or try using a tea instead of water for a pick me up. Earl Grey or English breakfast is great for a daytime pick me up and chamomile is fantastic for a nightcap.

Still need warming up? Try my recipe for mulled wine in your slow cooker! Other cold remedies are Jamu, a Balinese immunity elixir.

Hot Toddy Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 2 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

Serves: 1

Ingredients Needed

• 150ml/5floz boiling water
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 40ml/1.7floz whisky
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 slice lemon
• 1 whole clove

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 MIX - Pour some hot water in the glass and swirl to warm the glass. Tip out the water and then start making your hot toddy. Pour boiling water (150ml/5floz boiling water) into the glass and add the honey (2 teaspoons honey) and stir. Then add the whisky (40ml/1.7floz whisky) and lemon juice (1 tablespoon lemon juice).

Step 2 TASTE - Taste for balance. Everyone is different and you may like your hot toddy sweeter or more lemony!

Optional garnish: Place a clove (1 whole clove) in the centre of a slice of lemon (1 slice lemon) and add to drink.

Substitution notes:

Oranges also work in a hot toddy and also have Vitamin C which can help with colds.

Personal Note

I can't believe that we're almost done with winter. I love going out in summer but I turn into a bit of a hermit in winter as I hate the cold and it's hard when you have hot toddys at your disposal at home.

We did end up going out recently for dinner at a really lovely restaurant. A man on the table next to us finished his meal and life and we felt like we had this whole corner to ourselves, so it was nice and cosy. Then a couple of people sat down.

I think one of them was hard of hearing so they were shouting but then the other one had to start shouting to be heard. It was a lot as they were inches away from us. Mixed into this was the fact with that they were talking about somebody called Lorraine who was a close friend or relative that was the subject of their entire conversation and every 20th word that they shouted with "Lorraine!". I had to laugh and admit sometimes it's better to stay in!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you drink hot toddys? Do you enjoy them as a nightcap or as a sore throat remedy?