Drink of the month: Hot toddy

Home Culture Drink of the month: Hot toddy
Drink of the month: Hot toddy
A hot toddy is an easy drink to brew up. Unsplash

We all know the envy of the top-shelf life. We know people drink cocktails with frothed egg whites and fancy liqueurs, with the requisite splash of bitters (whatever that is) that punctuates the shake-and-pour of every mixologist.

But as college students who lean down to the lowest shelf to find a bottle of booze we can actually afford, we have a hard time tasting the high life. So I am going to present seasonal cocktail recipes that incorporate only ingredients you can find in the dining hall with the addition of some cheap alcohol.

Up first: the hot toddy.

At its simplest, the drink is a combination of booze, hot water, and sugar. The drink roots itself in the rich drinking tradition of Scotland, where it was used as a cure for any ailment. But the drink was not only for medicinal use; people began to excuse themselves to sipping hot whisky as a preventative measure. Whether it helped fix the malady, it certainly helped the ill get some sleep.

Ingredients:

1 tea bag, English-breakfast style

1 oz maple syrup

1 oz lemon juice

2 oz any whiskey (who cares the kind; beggars can’t be choosers)

Process:

1. Heat up some water and steep some tea. 

2. Fill cup half with tea.

3. Stir in maple syrup until fully dissolved.

4. Drop in whiskey and stir.

5. Finish with lemon juice.

It’s an easy drink to brew up. Come in from the cold, put some water on, and before you fingers fully thaw, you’ll have a hot drink to keep the chill at bay.