10 Warm and Soothing Hot Toddy Recipes to Try Tonight

There's a Perfect Toddy for Everyone

hot apple toddy

 The Spruce

When the cold winds start to blow, you can turn to a hot toddy to warm up. This steaming cup of liquor and tea with a little lemon and honey is both simple and fantastic, and that's why it's long been a favorite among hot cocktails.

The toddy is actually an old-fashioned style of cocktail that has been around for well over a century. While it ​can be served either hot or cold, the hot toddy is more popular today. By definition, a toddy is a drink with a distilled spirit, sweetener, and water. While the original hot toddy portrays that perfectly, there are many possibilities for that formula. These soothing toddy recipes showcase just a few of the things that you can do with a toddy and can spur ideas for your own creative concoctions.

  • 01 of 10

    Hot Toddy

    Hot Toddy

    The Spruce 

    This is the hot toddy. It's the classic recipe that everyone thinks about when they hear the name and acts as the foundation for all other toddies. Even this recipe comes with a few options.

    You can choose whiskey (typically blended or a bourbon), or go with the softer, sweet touch of brandy or rum. From there, you can pick your tea and preferred sweetener. It's brilliant in its simplicity and versatility, so give this recipe your own spin.

  • 02 of 10

    Black Tea Toddy

    Black Tea Hot Toddy

    The Spruce

    The matter of tea is always a personal choice when it comes to the toddy. This particular recipe opts for a strong black tea, but it's far more interesting than that. The black tea toddy also suggests optional spices like clove, cinnamon, and star anise. Adding any or all of those is a quick way to give your toddy a boost of flavor.

  • 03 of 10

    Hot Not Toddy

    Hot Not Toddy

    S&C Design Studios

    For the non-drinker, the hot not toddy is ideal. Not only is this a nonalcoholic version of the original, but it encourages you to play with different types of tea to obtain a very personal flavor. Favorites include black oolong, green tea, and Earl Grey, though orange-based teas with hints of spice are excellent as well.

    The hot not toddy offers comfort when you are under the weather, too. It's easy to make, soothing, and aromatic, the ideal remedy that helps you feel a little better.

  • 04 of 10

    Hot Apple Toddy

    Hot Apple Toddy

     The Spruce

    The hot apple toddy is another favorite and a superb choice for the chilly days of autumn. In this cozy recipe, the water is replaced with hot apple cider and paired with your favorite whiskey. While apple brandy is a nice alternative, it can be a little too much apple for some tastes.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    Hot Ginger Toddy

    Hot Ginger Toddy
    Rob Lawson / Photolibrary / Getty Images

    Ginger is not new in the world of toddies. While ginger syrup has long been used to add a sweet spice to the warm brew, today's ginger liqueurs make it even easier. The hot ginger toddy recipe prefers to play up that darker flavor profile with a shot of bourbon to create a warm drink that will definitely not go unnoticed.

  • 06 of 10

    Hot Gin Toddy

    Hot Gin Toddy Cocktail
    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    The hot gin toddy is by far the most aromatic and it is incredibly soothing. There's no need for tea in this toddy because when that hot water is poured, the botanicals of the gin open up and take on a new life. Whether it's as a nightcap, a quick warmer, or to find some relief from a head cold, this recipe can easily become your new go-to.

  • 07 of 10

    Grand Rum Toddy

    Grand Rum Toddy
    Susie Cushner/Photolibrary/Getty Images

    The grand rum toddy shows that you can create any flavor of toddy with the simplest addition. It focuses on citrus fruits, mixing rum with a sweet orange liqueur and a little lime juice. The result is an invigorating, semi-tropical toddy with a brighter taste than most.

  • 08 of 10

    Hot Cinn Apple Toddy

    Hot Cinn Apple Toddy
    NightAndDayImages/E+/Getty Images

    Apple and cinnamon are a natural pairing for fall cocktails and they come together wonderfully in the hot cinn apple toddy. The cinnamon comes from schnapps and it's fantastic against a robust bourbon and warm cider. Add agave nectar for sweetness and a hint of lemon and you're ready to cozy up by the fire.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Warm Old-Fashioned

    Warm Old-Fashioned with Maker's Mark Bourbon WHiskey
    Eisenhut and Mayer Wien/Photolibrary/Getty Images

    If you love a well-made whiskey old-fashioned, try giving it the hot toddy twist. You'll keep the sugar, bitters, cherry, orange, and bourbon, but simply finish the mix off with hot water to create an appropriately named warm old-fashioned. It's interesting to see how the familiar flavor medley reacts under heat and compare that experience to the original cocktail.

  • 10 of 10

    Canelazo

    Canelazo South American Hot Rum Cocktail

    momentcaptured1 from NYC, USA [ CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

    When you're ready for an adventure in international toddies, turn to the canelazo. It's a favorite drink in the highlands of South American countries and includes brown sugar, spices, and a hint of citrus. Don't worry if you can't get ahold of aguardiente ("firewater") because rum will do just fine!