A hot toddy is whiskey, hot water, lemon, and honey stirred together in a mug, and the honey is what holds it together. It sweetens the drink, rounds off the bite of the whiskey, and gives the hot water a little body so it sips like more than warm liquor.
We make this one once the evenings in Libertyville turn cold, right around the time the bees on our campus pull into their winter cluster. Use a honey you like on its own. In a drink this simple, you can taste it.
Dissolve the honey in a splash of hot water before the whiskey goes in; honey dropped into cool whiskey sinks and sits in a lump at the bottom of the mug.
Bourbon gives a rounder, sweeter toddy, rye makes it spicier, and Irish whiskey keeps it smooth and mellow. Any of the three works, and so do brandy or an aged dark rum. Pick something you would happily sip on its own.
Yes. Leave out the whiskey and use hot black, ginger, or chamomile tea in place of the water so the drink still has some body. Keep the honey and lemon the same. Like anything made with honey, it is not for babies under 12 months old.
Multiply the water, honey, and lemon by the number of drinks and warm them in a saucepan over medium-low until the honey dissolves, then hold the pot on low. Add 1 1/2 ounces of whiskey to each mug and ladle the hot mixture over it, so the alcohol does not cook off in the pot.
