After a long day tending to five children, my mother would command time for herself. With a mystery book under her arm, she’d climb the stairs to her bedroom and her “hot toddy.” In her case, the hot toddy was a cold bottle of Miller High Life, “the champagne of beers.”
While she didn’t opt for the conventional original (whiskey, water, and lemon juice) except when needed to break a fever, she did imbue the term “hot toddy” with a sense of tradition and celebration.
Hot toddy history begins in the late eighteenth century. The earliest recipe is described as a mixture of alcohol, hot water, sugar, and spice. Its etymology comes from India, where the “toddy drink” lists as ingredients fermented palm tree sap, alcohol, hot water, sugar, and spices.
The tradition and the celebration continue in bars and lounges during the deep dark of a Rochester winter. Beyond the expected Irish coffee and hot spiked eggnog, there’s much more out there to keep you warm.
Dicky’s Hot Apple Honey Crisp
Richie Salvaggio, Dicky’s Corner Pub
1 oz. Jim Beam honey bourbon whiskey
10 oz. Schutt’s apple cider
Whipped cream
Cinnamon
Crumbled fried donuts (garnish)
Heat Jim Beam and cider. Add whipped cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon and crumbled fried donuts.
Lento Cider Bourbon Toddy
Charles Weckworth, Lento, Village Gate
“The two standard hot drinks à la minute are the Irish Coffee, with Irish whisky, simple syrup, French press local coffee, and house-made whipped cream; and the Tea Toddy, with bourbon (or other dark spirit), honey or ginger syrup, lemon juice, and fresh brewed tea.”
1.5 oz. Black Button four-grain bourbon
.5 oz. Fresh squeezed lemon
.5 oz. Honey spice syrup (see below)
3 oz. Fennel-infused cider
Bring half a gallon of cider to a gentle simmer with one ounce of mulling spices for ten minutes and then strain over one cup sliced fennel leaves. Let steep for two to three minutes and then strain again into a press pot or other thermal dispenser.
Honey Spice Syrup
Mix together one cup of Davis local honey, one cup of white sugar, and two cups water. Skin a tangerine or orange and add three cloves and one cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and strain to holding vessel until needed.
Fill a glass coffee mug with hot water while you measure the bourbon, lemon juice, and syrup. Dump the hot water out and fill the mug with the cider to desired level, adding a cinnamon stick for garnish. Using a press pot lets you keep the cider hot for hours.
The Cub Room Onsen Toki Toddy
Anthony Rauhana, The Cub Room
Named after the Japanese word for hot springs, the heated Onsen Toki Toddy mixes together matcha green tea, mint, honey, brandy, whisky, and hot water. The Cub Room is also planning Mulled Cider Mondays in winter months, “a riff on the classic hot hard cider drink,” says Rauhana.
.75 oz. Matcha and mint honey syrup
.75 oz. Fresh squeezed lemon
.5 oz. Apple brandy
1 oz. Toki Japanese blended whisky
Hot water
Country Club Hot Buttered Rum
Javian Rafus, Oak Hill Country Club
Drawn butter
Spiced rum
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Hot water
Fresh whipped cream
Mix drawn butter with cinnamon and nutmeg together and roll into small balls. Put a ball in a coffee cup and add spiced rum. Heat it all together with hot water. Add whipped cream mixed with cinnamon.
The Daily Refresher Hot Buttered Rum
Matthew Pawloski, The Daily Refresher
1.25 oz. Goslings Black Seal Rum
.25 oz. Allspice dram liqueur
1 oz. House-made spiced butter compote (butter, brown sugar, salt, spices)
Star anise or cinnamon stick (garnish)
Mix rum and butter compote. Top with hot water and stir. Add star anise or cinnamon stick for garnish.
Or, try bartender Casey Holland’s recipe that was used for the United States Bartenders Guild, Rochester Chapter’s ROC 2018 calendar.
1 oz. Softened butter
1 oz. Blended scotch
.5 oz. Smith & Cross rum
.25 oz. Allspice dram liqueur
.25 oz. Honey syrup
Mix all together, top with hot water, and stir.
Nancy O’Donnell is a freelance writer who is curious about everything.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2017 issue of (585).
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