Guaranteed to cure all colds and fevers. Yeah, right. ‘I have a bit of a sniffle. Cure me now, barkeep.’ It does, however, bring you an instant warm glow and a thirst for another one.
- 75 ml fine single malt whisky (you’re poorly, yeah?)
- 3 tsp honey or maple syrup
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
Stir whisky and honey in a heatproof glass until dissolved. Top up with boiling water. Add a splash of lemon juice. Adjust to taste. Drop in a cinnamon stick and a slither of lemon peel.
Variations are numerous. Werther’s Hot Toddy adds not only, you guessed it, a Werther’s Original to the mix, but rims the glass with another one, crushed. Marmalade Toddy, anyone? Apple Toddy not only uses hot cider for water but Calvados for the liquor. If you fancy, swap the spirit for dark rum, gin, tequila or sake. Your call. A personal favourite: Lemsip Toddy with gin. It really does cure something. Oddly an original recipe in the Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930 (page 217) makes a toddy cold. Seems rather pointless and a waste of good booze.