Black Tea Hot Toddy

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Steep: 5 mins
Total: 10 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

Soothing, comfy, and perfect for cooler weather, the hot toddy is a classic warm cocktail. Endlessly customizable, or delightful kept simple and straightforward, this drink is the go-to beverage for snuggling up fireside or fending off seasonal sniffles.

The basic hot toddy recipe requires only a few ingredients: a base liquor, honey, lemon, and hot water. This formula is a classic for good reason. It's delicious, comes together quickly and helps to instantly relax. It's also an ideal canvas for customizing to your exact taste.

Toddies to Your Taste

In this recipe, brewed tea provides an additional layer of flavor. Feel free to get adventurous with the type of tea you use. Which spirit you choose will be a matter of personal taste or whatever you have on hand. Brandy, rum, and whiskey all make an excellent hot toddy. From there, switch out the citrus, add fruit, include warming spices, or sweeten it with whatever you like. However you choose to make your hot toddy, it can quickly become a new cold-weather favorite.

Two black tea hot toddies garnished with lemon wedges and cinnamon sticks, served with extra lemon and cinnamon

The Spruce Eats / Margot Cavin

Tips for Terrific Toddies

  • Some more citrus—1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon adds great flavor, though you might enjoy it with a little extra citrus. Add as much as you like. Your immune system will thank you for the extra dose of vitamin C. You can also add a little fresh orange juice for a more complex citrus flavor.
  • Keep it toasty—Preheating the glass or mug ensures your toddy stays warm a little longer. You can do so by filling it with hot water while you compile your ingredients, or place the water-filled glass in the microwave for about 5 or 10 seconds.

"Usually a mixture of dark spirit, lemon, honey, and hot water, this hot toddy recipe adds a delightful nuance by using hot tea. The tea you decide to use can draw in the spirit, citrus, honey, and even the cinnamon. This recipe is one of the best hot cocktails I have had." —Sean Johnson

Hot Toddy Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 bag black or green tea, or 1 teaspoon loose leaf tea

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 1 1/2 ouncesbrandy, whiskey, or rum

  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste

  • 1 Lemon wedge, for garnish

  • 1 Cinnamon stick, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make a black tea hot toddy

    The Spruce Eats / Margot Cavin

  2. Heat 1 cup of water in a tea kettle or the microwave. Once warm, add 1 tea bag and allow to steep for about 3 to 5 minutes (or according to the tea's recommended brewing time).

    A glass mug with a tea bag seeping in hot water

    The Spruce Eats / Margot Cavin

  3. While brewing the tea, heat your mug by filling it with warm water or place it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

    A glass mug filled with hot water

    The Spruce Eats / Margot Cavin

  4. Once the glass is warm, discard the water and coat the bottom with 1 tablespoon honey.

    A warmed glass mug with honey at the bottom

    The Spruce Eats / Margot Cavin

  5. Add 1 1/2 ounces liquor and 1 tablespoon fresly squeezed lemon juice to the glass, then fill with the brewed tea. Stir well to incorporate the honey.

    A glass mug with honey, whiskey, lemon juice, and brewed black tea

    The Spruce Eats / Margot Cavin

  6. Garnish with 1 lemon wedge and 1 cinnamon stick. Serve and enjoy.

    A black tea hot toddy garnished with a lemon wedge and a cinnamon stick

    The Spruce Eats / Margot Cavin

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Use gin—If you love the botanical flavor of gin, create a hot gin toddy.
  • Make it non-alcoholic—Don't feel like liquor tonight? Simply skip the booze and you have a hot not toddy.
  • Use a different sweetenerAgave nectar is an excellent substitute for the sweetener. It will retain the richness of honey and is vegan.
  • Make simple syrup—Another sweetener option is simple syrup, which is nothing more than sugar transformed into a liquid (which you can make at home). Simple syrup can also be flavored. Cinnamon syrup is an excellent choice, or you could have fun with the likes of a cranberry spice syrup.
  • Just use sugar—If you don't have a liquid sweetener, simply stir in 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. The warm tea will dissolve it quickly.
  • Try other teas—Feel free to experiment with your favorite types of tea. Most black and green teas mix well into a toddy, but from there it's a personal preference.

How Strong Is the Hot Toddy?

The hot toddy is not one of those drinks that you down simply to get drunk. It is more of an experience and a way to relax, so its alcohol content may be irrelevant for the most part. However, for the curious drinker, you can expect it to weigh in around 6 percent ABV (12 proof). That's about the same as a strong beer.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
458 Calories
3g Fat
106g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 458
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 31mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 106g 39%
Dietary Fiber 23g 82%
Total Sugars 51g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 431mg 2,154%
Calcium 224mg 17%
Iron 5mg 27%
Potassium 1325mg 28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)