6 Hot Toddy Variations To Get You Through Winter
These creative toddy twists will warm those chapped hands, and the soul
Flu Shot at Street’s Fine Chicken
Even though this year has been a relatively mild and low-snow season for certain parts of the U.S., spring doesn’t officially arrive for another several weeks. Trust us: there will still be plenty of evenings you’ll want to spend cozied up underneath a faux fur throw. (Remember that saying about March coming in like a lion?) But even if you are bored with winter at this point, your warming sip doesn’t have to be uninspired. The Hot Toddy is undoubtedly a soothing classic, but these six versions surprise by subbing in gin for the more expected whiskey, bringing the heat with habanero, changing color, and using a base of chicken broth in place of hot water or tea. They will keep you from getting steamed that spring hasn’t yet sprung.
Flu Shot
Recipe courtesy of Marco Street, Owner and Co-Founder, Street’s Fine Chicken, Dallas, Texas
It was only natural that a Southern chicken house turn to savory, salty broth in one of its cocktails. Barley-based shōchū compliments its delicate flavors while horseradish opens up nasal passages. “The Flu Shot does not include the same ingredients as a traditional Hot Toddy, but it still boasts the same warm and inviting feeling,” Street admits. “Shōchū adds a warmth and richness that is perfect for winter.”
1 oz. Iichiko Silhouette Mugi Shochu
4 oz. chicken broth
1 tsp. horseradish
Pinch of salt
garnish: freshly cracked pepper
Heat the chicken broth. Combine all ingredients except pepper in a mug or tea cup, stir, and garnish with freshly cracked pepper.
Never Setting Sun
Recipe courtesy of Douglas Phillips, Bar Manager, The Whistler, Chicago, IL
Phillips deems this tipple the British Empire in a glass—a liquid iteration of the British tea trade from East to West. He starts with chai tea from India flavored with the spices of East Africa and the orangeries of southern Spain, and a British gin made with East Asian botanicals brings it all full circle. “Gin lends itself to warm cocktails,” he explains. “In the same way that hot water pulls the flavor from the tea leaves it also accentuates the flavor of the botanicals used to create the gin.” Balance is key in toddies he adds, as heating the drink will exaggerate imperfections in the spirit and exacerbate sour and sweet flavors.
1 ½ oz. Suntory Roku Gin (gold medal winner 2019 International Spirits Competition)
½ oz. Licor 43 Orange Licor
½ oz. lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 dash absinthe
3 oz. hot chai tea
garnish: clove-studded orange wheel (a few cloves stuck into the membrane of the fruit)
Add the first five ingredients to a mug, top with the tea and stir to combine. Garnish with the clove-studded orange wheel.
Shania at Proxi
Shania
Recipe courtesy of Jess Sandberg, Head Bartender, Proxi, Chicago, Illinois
Sandberg likes how gin’s flavors change and evolve when it’s heated. This one with butterfly pea extract reacts and changes color if an acid or base is added. The citrus is added at the table, turning the drink from blue to pink in front of guests’ eyes. “It is almost an interactive cocktail. It is fun to watch and explain to guests what is happening,” she says. “It is definitely not what you would expect when you order a Hot Toddy.”
1 ½ oz. Empress 1908 Gin (Silver medal winner 2019 International Spirits Competition)
¼ oz. Koval Cranberry Liqueur
¼ oz. lemon juice
¼ oz. grapefruit juice
½ oz. spiced syrup (recipe follows)
2 oz. hot water
Build in a Georgian or Irish Coffee glass, topping with the hot water and stirring gently.
Spiced Syrup:
Toast 2 star anise pods, a pinch of mace and 4 cinnamon sticks in a medium saucepan on medium until the oils and aroma increase, stirring continuously. Add 1 cup of water in the same pot used to toast the spices, bring to a simmer and add 3 grapefruit peels (3 inches by 1 inch). Simmer for 10 more minutes, remove from the heat and strain out solids. Add 1 cup sugar and stir until dissolved. Store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to a week.
A&G Hot Toddy, photo by Lili Brown at MST Creative
A&G Hottie Toddy
Recipe courtesy of the Bar Team, Archer & Goat, New York, New York
Somewhere in between a Hot Toddy and hot apple cider is this cocktail whose apple shrub is a follow up to a version Archer & Goat’s bartenders made with cranberries for a different drink. It’s decidedly more nuanced than the typical one-note toddy (as soothing as that may be) with familiar elements that combine in a unique way.
1 ½ oz. Irish whiskey (such as Bushmills Original, gold medal winner in the 2019 International Spirits Competition)
2 oz. apple shrub (instructions follow)
¼ oz. fresh lime juice
5 oz. Hot water
garnish: apple wedge
Add the first four ingredients to a 10 ounce beer glass or Irish coffee mug, stir to combine and garnish with an apple wedge.
Apple Shrub:
Combine 1 pound Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples, ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar and ½ cup granulated sugar and let macerate for 72 hours. Pour into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and simmer on low for 2 hours. Strain out solids and store the shrub the refrigerator for up to several months.
Agave Hot Toddy at Madre
Agave Hot Toddy
Recipe courtesy of Bryant Orozco, Madre, Los Angeles, California
For this drink, Orozco selected buckwheat honey from a local farmer’s market, as its earthy notes best showcases the smoky agaveness in the mezcal, and sources the tea from an independent tea maker in Oaxaca called Dravana. “It is a perfect way to showcase Oaxacan culture using the classic Hot Toddy as a medium.”
1 oz. mezcal
1 tea bag of your choice (the house favorite at Madre is chamomile peach)
1 bar spoon honey
hot water
garnish: 2 lemon wheels and 1 cinnamon stick
Add the first three ingredients to an Irish coffee mug, top with hot water, stir to combine and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and garnish with lemon wheels and a cinnamon stick.
Bistro Toddy at Urbana
The Bistro Toddy
Recipe courtesy of Lauren Mathews, Lead Bartender, Urbana, Washington, D.C.
Mathews wanted a Toddy that was citrus-forward with a little spicy kick. She uses Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac—prized by bartenders for its dry finish—and a few drops of shrub made from habanero peppers. “A great hot toddy should warm you up and calm you down on cold nights,” she says. “It should be delicious comfort in a glass.
1 ½ oz. Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
¼ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. honey syrup (2:1 ratio of honey to warm water, stirred to combine)
2 dashes Bittermens Hellfire Shrub
Hot water
garnish: lemon peel studded with cloves
Fill a Hot Toddy glass with hot water and set aside. Add the cognac, lemon juice, honey syrup and shrub in another glass and stir to combine. Pour out the hot water from the original glass, add the combined ingredients, and fill the rest with hot water. Garnish with a lemon peel studded with cloves.
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