Uploaded November 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here's how to make the simple, classic winter drink, Hot Toddy, which uses whiskey (in this case Rye), boiling water, sugar, lemon peel and whole cloves. It's a smooth drink that will warm you up like a good herbal tea.
The Hot Toddy is really a broad category of drinks, like Sours or Fizzes. The name has come to mean a hot drink with whiskey in it, but that should be called a Hot Whiskey Toddy. A Toddy can be made with any number of spirits, brandy, rum, gin, etc. You might have to swap out or add some different spices to optimize the flavor, but it wouldn't take a whole lot of effort.
The Hot (Whiskey) Toddy is one that doesn't really have a standard recipe. Everyone seems to have their favorite spin on it. They like it with honey or lemon juice or nutmeg. Feel free to make it how you want it. This recipe is more or less a base for the Toddy. It is an interpretation of a couple recipes from Jerry Thomas' book, How to Mix Drinks. I looked at two different editions of the book one published in 1862 and the other from 1887. There were several Toddies in both books. In the 1862 book, there were recipes for Whisk(e)y Toddies using Scotch and Irish Whiskey. There was also a bigger punch sized Toddy, which used entire bottles of Islay Scotch and Rye Whiskey (referred to as Monongahela), called The Spread Eagle Punch, and despite its name is an awesome Toddy (recipe below). The 1887 edition of Thomas' book had a Toddy recipe for bourbon or rye. I chose rye for this one, but feel free to make it with your favorite whisk(e)y, Irish, Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, Tennessee, Indian, Japanese, Swiss, whatever floats your boat.
The best part of the Thomas Toddy recipe did not seem to make it into the later edition. In the 1862 version, he describes a technique of rubbing a sugar cube along the skin of a lemon, which breaks open the capillaries of the peel and releases the lemon oil. This makes a big difference and helps open up the drink. If you add the lemon peel and sugar without combining them first, it doesn't have the same power.
The addition of the cloves is the only part of the recipe that didn't come from Thomas, but it really benefits from the spice. The steeped lemon and spice gives it the essence of an herbal tea.
The sugar cube is up to you. I happen to have some standard C&H processed, bleached cubes. If you want to use a better, darker sugar cube, do it. It will certainly help give the drink more dimensions.
The whisk(e)y you choose is certainly an important component. You want to taste and you want it to be able to stand up to the hot water. The dilution will take the edge off the whiskey so it will be an easy sipper for everyone, but you want to make sure you have a whisk(e)y with a good flavor that you'll enjoy. I like using an overproof whiskey to help cut through the 2:1 boiling water.
Some people swear that a Hot Toddy is a cold remedy. I'm sure the science on that is a little dubious, but it will certainly make you feel better if you're chilly or had a long day. Cheers!
Recipe:
2 oz Whiskey
4 oz Boiling Water
1 sugar cube
garnish Lemon Peel
garnish Whole Cloves
Grate sugar cube on lemon skin over the mug. Add sugar cube to the mug. Pour a little boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Add whiskey. Pour the rest of the boiling water. Garnish with lemon peel (same part you scraped the sugar on) studded with whole cloves.
Toddy Variation - Spread Eagle Punch:
1 oz Islay Scotch (peated)
1 oz Rye Whiskey
1 sugar cube
garnish Lemon Peel
Grate sugar cube on lemon skin over the mug. Add sugar cube to the mug. Pour a little boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Add whiskies. Pour the rest of the boiling water. Garnish with lemon peel (same part you scraped the sugar on). Thomas' original recipe was for a much bigger batch, it called for whole bottles of each whiskey.
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facebook.com/DistinguishedSpirits
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Featured in this Episode
Wild Turkey 101 Rye Whiskey
wildturkeybourbon.com/product/wild-turkey-101-rye
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
wildturkeybourbon.com/product/wild-turkey-rare-breed
The Black Grouse
thefamousgrouse.com/our-whiskies/black-grouse
Redbreast Irish Whiskey
singlepotstill.com/redbreast
Laphroaig 10-Year
laphroaig.com/whiskies/10yo.aspx
Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
heavenhill.com/brand/23
Jerry Thomas' Bartenders Guide (1862)
amzn.to/2rJpxCQ
Bar Tools:
Irish Coffee Mug
amzn.to/1He2x2g
Measuring Cup
amzn.to/1MmzKsL
Barspoon
amzn.to/1LWeds0
Vegetable Peeler
amzn.to/1IdfQR6
Electric Kettle
amzn.to/1PQTPKp
Here's how to make the simple, classic winter drink, Hot Toddy, which uses whiskey (in this case Rye), boiling water, sugar, lemon peel and whole cloves. It's a smooth drink that will warm you up like a good herbal tea.
The Hot Toddy is really a broad category of drinks, like Sours or Fizzes. The name has come to mean a hot drink with whiskey in it, but that should be called a Hot Whiskey Toddy. A Toddy can be made with any number of spirits, brandy, rum, gin, etc. You might have to swap out or add some different spices to optimize the flavor, but it wouldn't take a whole lot of effort.
The Hot (Whiskey) Toddy is one that doesn't really have a standard recipe. Everyone seems to have their favorite spin on it. They like it with honey or lemon juice or nutmeg. Feel free to make it how you want it. This recipe is more or less a base for the Toddy. It is an interpretation of a couple recipes from Jerry Thomas' book, How to Mix Drinks. I looked at two different editions of the book one published in 1862 and the other from 1887. There were several Toddies in both books. In the 1862 book, there were recipes for Whisk(e)y Toddies using Scotch and Irish Whiskey. There was also a bigger punch sized Toddy, which used entire bottles of Islay Scotch and Rye Whiskey (referred to as Monongahela), called The Spread Eagle Punch, and despite its name is an awesome Toddy (recipe below). The 1887 edition of Thomas' book had a Toddy recipe for bourbon or rye. I chose rye for this one, but feel free to make it with your favorite whisk(e)y, Irish, Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, Tennessee, Indian, Japanese, Swiss, whatever floats your boat.
The best part of the Thomas Toddy recipe did not seem to make it into the later edition. In the 1862 version, he describes a technique of rubbing a sugar cube along the skin of a lemon, which breaks open the capillaries of the peel and releases the lemon oil. This makes a big difference and helps open up the drink. If you add the lemon peel and sugar without combining them first, it doesn't have the same power.
The addition of the cloves is the only part of the recipe that didn't come from Thomas, but it really benefits from the spice. The steeped lemon and spice gives it the essence of an herbal tea.
The sugar cube is up to you. I happen to have some standard C&H processed, bleached cubes. If you want to use a better, darker sugar cube, do it. It will certainly help give the drink more dimensions.
The whisk(e)y you choose is certainly an important component. You want to taste and you want it to be able to stand up to the hot water. The dilution will take the edge off the whiskey so it will be an easy sipper for everyone, but you want to make sure you have a whisk(e)y with a good flavor that you'll enjoy. I like using an overproof whiskey to help cut through the 2:1 boiling water.
Some people swear that a Hot Toddy is a cold remedy. I'm sure the science on that is a little dubious, but it will certainly make you feel better if you're chilly or had a long day. Cheers!
Recipe:
2 oz Whiskey
4 oz Boiling Water
1 sugar cube
garnish Lemon Peel
garnish Whole Cloves
Grate sugar cube on lemon skin over the mug. Add sugar cube to the mug. Pour a little boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Add whiskey. Pour the rest of the boiling water. Garnish with lemon peel (same part you scraped the sugar on) studded with whole cloves.
Toddy Variation - Spread Eagle Punch:
1 oz Islay Scotch (peated)
1 oz Rye Whiskey
1 sugar cube
garnish Lemon Peel
Grate sugar cube on lemon skin over the mug. Add sugar cube to the mug. Pour a little boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Add whiskies. Pour the rest of the boiling water. Garnish with lemon peel (same part you scraped the sugar on). Thomas' original recipe was for a much bigger batch, it called for whole bottles of each whiskey.
Follow Us!
facebook.com/DistinguishedSpirits
instagram.com/distinguishedspirits
twitter.com/DistinguishedSp
pinterest.com/DistinguishedSp
Featured in this Episode
Wild Turkey 101 Rye Whiskey
wildturkeybourbon.com/product/wild-turkey-101-rye
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
wildturkeybourbon.com/product/wild-turkey-rare-breed
The Black Grouse
thefamousgrouse.com/our-whiskies/black-grouse
Redbreast Irish Whiskey
singlepotstill.com/redbreast
Laphroaig 10-Year
laphroaig.com/whiskies/10yo.aspx
Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
heavenhill.com/brand/23
Jerry Thomas' Bartenders Guide (1862)
amzn.to/2rJpxCQ
Bar Tools:
Irish Coffee Mug
amzn.to/1He2x2g
Measuring Cup
amzn.to/1MmzKsL
Barspoon
amzn.to/1LWeds0
Vegetable Peeler
amzn.to/1IdfQR6
Electric Kettle
amzn.to/1PQTPKp
