Chill with a funky hot toddy

THE source of the hot toddy’s name is arguable; some think it came from Anglicising the Indian “tari”, a fermented palm wine.

But an 1871 article in the

New York Times argues no: The “toddy” is so named for Tod’s Well, which once supplied water to much of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, whose inhabitants are no strangers to the art of mixing whisky and water.

Like most classic quaffs, the toddy has crashed into the craft cocktail movement, so now you can find the toddy template being executed with spirits from aquavit and slivovitz to mescal, and including all sorts of citrus and sweeteners.

I’m personally a big fan of using teas in toddies, which add new flavours to the palette; in the case of the Caribbean Breeze Toddy, tart hibiscus tea stands in for lemon juice.

But the classic toddy is as simple as it gets: a couple of millilitres of spirit topped with boiling water, a spoonful of honey, a wheel of citrus and a bit of spice. The better variations of the classic – which you should make when you’re healthy and just trying to warm up – lean on good aged spirits.

I’m talking overproof, funky aged rums, brandies with oomph, feisty, smoky Islay whiskies, any spirits that get mellowed out by the toddy’s softening haze of honey, lemon and steam.

That’s the healthy person’s classic toddy. If you’re attempting to use the toddy as a cold treatment when you’re sick and can’t smell or taste anything, don’t waste your good booze.

In such moments, the toddy is a good place to bury nominal whiskeys, ones you don’t want to drink much of neat. – The Washington Post Serves 1

This toddy blends the milder, sweeter yellow variation of the liqueur with citrus and chamomile tea.

2 dashes orange bitters

15ml fresh lemon juice

30ml yellow Chartreuse 1 chamomile tea bag or sachet 150ml boiling water

Lemon wheel pierced with whole cloves, for garnish

Combine the bitters, lemon juice and Chartreuse in a teacup or small mug.

Add the tea bag, then pour in the boiling water.

Let the drink steep for four to five minutes, then discard the tea bag.

Add the clove-studded lemon wheel and serve. five minutes, then discard the tea bag. Add the clove-studded lemon wheel and serve