Hot Toddy, A Scottish Panacea

By Maltmannie

As a younger man, I often marvelled at the vast range of ailments my father would treat with a “hot toddy”. From a chest cold to sinusitis, if it affected his respiritory system he would prescribe himself a hot toddy. There are many recipes for hot toddy, but I’d like to share mine with you.

source (http://flickr.com/photos/jenny-pics/2630557896/)

What Is A Hot Toddy?

Hot toddy is a generic name for a hot drink made with a spirit, sweetener and hot water. Whisky, rum, brandy, grappa or pretty much any spirit can be used. Of course I would never advocate using anything but scotch whisky! No need for your best whisky here, indeed some would argue it is a waste of single malt. So the cheapest blended whisky your local shop stores will do just fine.

Generally it is drunk as a medicinal elixir, some people find cold weather a good excuse for a hot toddy too. I have a different personal favourite for a winter warmer, but that’s for another post. So without further ado I present:

HotWhisky’s Hot Toddy Recipe

Ingredients:

• 50ml Scotch Whisky
• Half a lemon (or lime)
• Two teaspoons of honey
• Boiling water

Method:

1. Squeeze the lemon (or lime) into a large mug.
2. Put the honey and whisky into the mug too.
3. Fill up with boiling water.
4. Drink as quickly as possible.
5. Go to bed.

Does A Hot Toddy Actually Work?

While I am in no way qualified to offer medical advice my personal experience is that it really helps me sleep. Normally I feel better the next day already, but I have a stock of the ingredients just in case I don’t

Disclaimer:

Neither hotwhisky.com nor Maltmannie advocate self medication. We can advise on matters pertaining to whisky but for all matters medical consult a doctor or pharmacist.