Good morning, tea friends! Who is ready for the weekend? I know I am! This chillier weather is really starting to set in and these cooler temperatures have me ready to throw on a sweater and some wool socks, and curl up with a good rom-com, and a hot drink. To help myself get through these next two work days, and to this cozy scene, a topic that I'll be discussing with you today is how to make yourself a traditional hot toddy cocktail, but with a twist using our teas as a main ingredient! Check out a little background below followed by our own recipe!
For those unfamiliar, a hot toddy, is an old English and Scottish drink that was served at pubs when weather conditions were damp or cold. Patrons would come in to take a load off, meet friends for good conversation and laughs, and simply just to warm up. To do so, they would often order a hot toddy. Traditionally, this was served as a mixture of a shot of whisky or rum topped with hot water. It certainly was not known for its palatability, but would please sippers as it would help to warm them up quicker. As years passed and spices from the East became more accessible, bars and saloons alike began to exercise creative license and add their own twists to their hot toddy drinks. For instance, a bar now in New York City, known as a The Whisky Ward, serves its hot toddy with its own house whisky, hot (and I mean, HOT) water, allspice, cinnamon, clove, an anise star, and for those who like it sweet, honey on the side. Similarly, when you are looking to regain the feeling in your toes on a chilly night in Toronto, you may stop at a place called Kalendar. Here they make their hot toddy with brandy, hot water, clove, fresh squeezed lemon, honey, complete with a brown sugar rim. While these both sound absolutely delicious, as I continued my research on different recipes for this toasty libation I began to recognize that many of the ingredients found in each were similar to those that are already in many of our teas here at the shop! Some recipes even already suggested the use of hot tea, as opposed to hot water, as well! I thought to myself, "Why not try making a GLT Hot Toddy?". Below you will find a recipe for our own recommendation in making a delicious and warming potation to be enjoyed by you this weekend and throughout the fall season!
- 1/2 teaspoon of honey or 1/2 a teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1/2 ounce of whiskey, rum, bourbon, or rye (dealer's choice here)
- 1 lemon wedge
- 1 anise star, cinnamon stick, or an orange peel for garnish
Directions:
1. Make your Hot Cinnamon Spice tea just as you normally would in your favorite mug, steeping for about 3-5 minutes. (We recommend this mug! It has the infuser already in it!)
2. Add the honey or sugar, juice from your lemon, and your choice of liquor to your tea mug.
3. Stir until dissolved.
4. Garnish with your star, stick, or peel.
5. Enjoy and warm up!
We chose to use our Hot Cinnamon Spice tea for a few reasons. First, it is our most popular tea. It has a perfect 5 stars on our website and we receive the same reviews from all of our customers in store. Its flavors have a way of warming the sipper from first to last taste. Secondly, this tea already includes many of the ingredients that we saw as commonalities when researching popular hot toddy recipes. Hot Cinnamon Spice includes 3 different types of cinnamon, clove, and smoldering citrus chips all atop a bed of black tea.
Lastly, we chose this tea as we have a decaf black version and a completely caffeine free rooibos version of it as well. If you are particularly sensitive to caffeine or plan to enjoy your toddy later in the evening, you may want to go with either of these teas as a base for your cocktail instead.
Hopefully this gets you as excited for the upcoming weekend as I am! If you give this recipe a try, or decide to try making your own hot toddy with another one of our teas, please let us know how you fare! I love hearing from you and updating the blogs with any feedback for future readers! Stay warm and happy sipping! - Kaytea :)
P.S. Be on the lookout, we will be releasing our Holiday Teas on the website tomorrow! These teas are absolutely fabulous and only available at this time of year!
