Hot Toddy with Honey and Lemon

As a tropical country, India experiences a long-drawn, oppressive summer season interspersed with a few colder months from December to February. Hot Toddy is a beverage that is exclusively consumed during the blink-and-miss winter season in the country.

Imagine a boozier version of your Ayurvedic Kadha, and you have a Hot Toddy. Indeed, this drink is primarily consumed to sniffle out a persistent cough and cold. The whiskey in the drink helps in dilating blood vessels and coating the mucus membrane, in turn making breathing easier.

This beverage has its roots in Ireland, a country historically famous for its bone-chilling winters. Interestingly though, its name comes from the Indian drink Toddy, made from fermenting the palm sap. The word may have slipped into the English lexicon during British colonial rule. In fact, in her book Romantic Island, writer Patricia McKee Hanna remarks that while Irish physician Robert Bentley Todd may have suggested the concoction to his patients to heal sore throats, the recipe for this drink can be traced back to a “much earlier Hindustani prescription.”

With whiskey as its base, Hot Toddy uses the ever-dependable ingredient combination of honey and lemon to steep the liquid. It is a well-known that lemon is a natural source of Vitamin C and honey soothes a sore throat. Cinnamon sticks and a few pods of clove can also be added to the drink. Cloves contain phenolic compounds that have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Cinnamon, on the other hand, stimulates the immune system and also clears the nasal passage. In some cases, even tea leaves and cayenne pepper are infused into the liquid to make it as potent as possible.

Albeit the less popular version, Toddy can also be served chilled with crushed ice. For this Cold Toddy recipe, the alcohol used is rye whiskey, along with honey, lemons and cinnamon sticks. The drink also features oranges, Earl Grey tea and crushed ginger.

In Japanese culture, whiskey is replaced with gin and hibiscus syrup is added to the drink for a floral hit.