Hot Cocktails For Very Cold Days
My first of three holiday drinks posts, with three apple-kissed recipes.
Here in the northeast, this past weekend, we had our first snowfall of the year. For once, it didn’t all melt away immediately. Yes, the temperature has remained frigidly below freezing. I know that a lot of you hate cold weather like this, but I don’t care. It’s beautiful, and I am hoping for a true winter this year.
I’ve always believed that one has to had to live through a few winters to truly enjoy and understand the sublime pleasures of the hot toddy. When cold weather like this finally rolls around, a cranky old man’s voice inside me demands that I switch from the youthful, easy-sipping drinks of summer to the more mature enjoyment of a toddy.
Over the years, “hot toddy” has become a catch-all for any sort of steaming boozy drink. At the risk of sounding like that cranky old man, a true hot toddy does not include a tea bag or a dollop of cream. And it does not call for a cinnamon stick (what is it always with the cinnamon sticks?)
The beauty of the toddy lies in its simplicity: spirit, sweetener, hot water, lemon peel. David Wondrich, in his cocktail history Imbibe, describes a toddy as “a simple drink in the same way a tripod is a simple device. Remove one leg and it cannot stand, set it up properly and it will hold the weight of the world.”
I like a ratio of 2 ounces spirit, plus ½ ounce sweetener, plus 3 ounces hot water. It’s a drink you can’t mess up. Just remember to use enough water – dilution can be your friend, embrace it. You’ll also want to remember to swirl a little hot water in the mug before you start so the cooler spirit doesn’t bring the temperature down to lukewarm.
Beyond that, there is plenty flexibility for experimentation. Will you use bourbon or rye or Islay scotch or Irish whiskey? Or how about changing up the whiskey with aged rum, Cognac, or even gin? Will you sweeten your toddy with sugar, honey, or maple syrup? Or perhaps you will use a liqueur such as Bénédictine or Chartreuse or Grand Marnier as your sweetener?
One of my favorite spirits for a toddy is Calvados, mixed with little yellow Chartreuse or a ginger liqueur or with fresh baked apples. This trio of Calvados toddies will cure just about anything.
Which brings us to the age-old question: Was your drunk old aunt right? Will a hot toddy cure the common cold? Well, yes and no. There are certainly benefits to drinking hot drinks when you have a cold, to open up the nasal passages and such. And the alcohol can’t hurt to relax you and help you sleep in the same way that Nyquil does.
But I like to think that it also cures more existential ills. For instance, as I was writing this, I started to fear I was becoming that cranky old man inside me. And that bummed me out. But once I poured myself a steaming hot toddy…well, everything was okay.
Toddy Tales: 3 Apple Variations
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