Hot toddy
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A hot toddy, also known as hot whisky in Ireland,[1][2] and occasionally called southern cough syrup[3] within the Southern United States, is typically a mixed drink made of liquor and water with honey (or in some recipes, sugar), lemon, herbs (such as tea) and spices, and served hot.[4] Recipes vary, and hot toddy is traditionally drunk as a nightcap before retiring for the night, in wet or cold weather, or to relieve the symptoms of the cold and flu. In How to Drink, Victoria Moore describes the drink as "the vitamin C for health, the honey to soothe, the alcohol to numb."[5][6]
Preparation
[edit]A hot toddy is a mixture of a spirit (usually whisky), hot water, and honey (or, in some recipes, sugar). In Canada, maple syrup may be used. Additional ingredients such as cloves, a lemon slice or cinnamon (in stick or ground form) are often also added.[7][8]
Etymology
[edit]The word toddy comes from the toddy drink in India, produced by fermenting the sap of palm trees. Its earliest known use to mean "a beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices" is from 1786. It is often referred to as a 'Hot Toady'.[9] However, a few other sources credit Robert Bentley Todd for his prescription of a hot drink of brandy, canella (white cinnamon), sugar syrup, and water.[10]
Variations
[edit]A cold toddy is made with rye whiskey, oranges, lemons, cinnamon sticks, ginger, Earl Grey tea, cloves, honey, and orange or regular bitters. It is served with ice and stirred until it is very cold.[11]
See also
[edit]
- Mahogany (drink)
- Grog is the name of a similar drink based on rum in several cultures.
- Posset
- Absinthe
- List of hot beverages
- Tamagozake, the traditional Japanese cold cure, uses heated sake mixed with egg.
References
[edit]- ^ Muirithe, Diarmaid Ó (31 October 2006). Words We Use: The Meaning of Words And Where They Come From. Gill & Macmillan Ltd. ISBN 9780717151844 – via Google Books.
- ^ Wondrich, David (17 December 2010). "Wondrich: The Essential Winter Cocktail". Esquire. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- ^ Cosgrove, Jaclyn. "Flu myths: The flu shot won't make you sick, and whiskey won't cure you". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Definition of Hot Toddy". Princeton WordNet. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ Moore, Victoria (18 November 2009). How to Drink. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing LLC. p. 236. ISBN 978-0740785740.
- ^ Slater, Nigel (12 March 2011). "Nigel Slater's classic hot toddy recipe". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- ^ Poister, John H. (1999). The New American Bartenders Guide (2nd ed.). Signet Reference. p. 612. ISBN 0-451-19782-8.
- ^ "Wisconsin Winter Toddy". Princeton WordNet. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ "toddy". Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Lyons, Paddy (2013). Romantic Ireland: From Tone to Gonne. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 150. ISBN 9781443853583.
- ^ Baraghani, Andy (20 November 2018). "Cold Toddy". Bon Appétit.