Is the weather getting cold day by day in your city? Do you need a nice warm cocktail to make you feel heavenly? If yes, why not try a glass of hot toddy. The hot toddy is one of the best winter drinks and is suitable for healing cough, cold and sore throat. Did you know hot toddy was invented somewhere around the 1700s, and Bourbon was only used to make it?
Some believe hot toddy was invented in India, and a few people say it has originated in Scotland; thus, the invention of Hot Toddy is a mystery for sure. But, whoever invented it, is an authentic and soothing drink for winters.
Read the article below, and you will get to more about the best whisky for hot toddy is not only Bourbon.
Why is Hot Toddy So Famous and Its Benefits?
Hot toddy has herbs, spices, hot water, honey, lime, and whisky; altogether, it is a drink that has many health benefits. The best whisky for hot toddy can be Bourbon, rum, scotch, cognac, and more. Many bartenders prefer adding ginger to a hot toddy to make it even healthier. Drink it with one of your favorite whiskies.
You must have heard your grandfather tell you the health benefits of drinking hot toddy on a cold winter day. And even if you have a cough and cold. In the 1800s and 1900s, Annie Gray said that rum, brandy, and hot drinks have medicinal spirits that help cure infections such as cold, cough, sore throat, and even fever. Read further to know the health benefits of drinking this hot cocktail.
Health Benefits Of Hot Toddy
Hot Toddy Has Spices
Spices like cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger in the hot toddy make it rich in antioxidants. These spices also have natural oils in them that help in healing cough and cold and even fever. The herbs mentioned above also have inflammatory properties that help heal joint pain, muscle pain, and much more.
Studies show that cinnamon is also beneficial in reducing the chances of heart diseases. Cinnamon is also great for reducing inflammation, and it’s also full of anti-oxidants. Cinnamon can even lower your blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. Lastly, studies have also shown that cinnamon can help in the fight against cancer.
Cloves help kill harmful bacteria and also keeps blood sugar regular. Therefore, altogether, the mix of spices in hot toddy is useful and has many health benefits.
Honey
We all know how essential honey is in providing sweetness and in maintaining health. Honey has medicinal benefits and has been in use to heal wounds and make medicines for ages. Raw honey is an ideal source of antioxidants that help build healthy cells and not let radicals damage the cells. Honey also has antibacterial properties that help in reducing bacteria and fungus.
Honey, when mixed with lemon, helps in reducing weight. Thus, you can see how crucial the role of honey is in any drink.
Hot Water
You very well know drinking hot water can prove beneficial in reducing weight; it helps make the skin glow and improves digestion. For all those who have issues of congestion, drinking hot toddy can be very helpful. Drinking hot water also helps to reduce stress and improve blood circulation.
Lemon
Lemon not only has vitamin C but has several health benefits attached to it. It acts as an antioxidant and helps keep your immune system healthy. All those who have dull skin consume lemon to make you look bright and radiating. Lemon is also helpful in reducing extra fat from the body. Thus, hot toddy has lemon and lime juice in it; you can imagine how healthy it is on the whole.
Ginger
This spice has several health benefits as it helps reduce inflammation, migration and helps in relieving cough and cold. Ginger has many benefits, including reducing nausea, promoting weight loss, reducing the ill effects of arthritis, lowering blood sugar and heart disease risk, solving chronic indigestion, lowering cholesterol, among many others.
All prefer ginger in tea, but adding it to hot toddy is also very beneficial, increasing its health benefits.
Whisky
The main ingredient of hot toddy has a lot of health benefits. For ages, whisky is known for reducing stress, weight loss and improves heart health. Several studies prove that whisky reduces the chances of strokes, helps get rid of cold, and improves the immune system.
Apart from this, whisky is also known to fight cancer, reduce obesity, control diabetes, significantly lower the risk of dementia and act as a digestive aid. All in all, whisky is one power drink that you don’t want to miss out on, and hot toddy has loads on it in all the right places.
All the ingredients in Hot Toddy have their health benefits. Thus, on the whole, it is a healthy drink for winters.
Recipe Of Hot Toddy With Different Whiskies
Recipe with Jim Beam
Jim Beam is a classic Bourbon and one of the most famous Bourbon whiskies in America.
Ingredients
- Hot water one cup
- Lemon wedges
- 2 ounces of Jim Beam Bourbon Whisky
- Honey
- Nutmeg powder
Method
- In a nice whisky glass, pour 2 ounces of Bourbon.
- Now add honey to it and give it a nice stir.
- Squeeze the slice of lemon and put the wedge into the glass.
- Make sure the water is hot and pour it into the glass.
- The final step is to add some nutmeg powder on top of the glass and serve it by adding a cinnamon stick into the glass.
- Your hot toddy is ready to heal you and your throat.
Hot Toddy With Some Spices, Fruits, And Old Monk Whisky
Old Monk has notes of vanilla, and it is officially a rum that has been aged for almost seven years.
Ingredients
- Two each -cinnamon, cloves, and Star Anise
- Fruits – apple and orange cut into slices.
- Lime wedge one slice
- and lime juice two teaspoons.
- Honey- 1 tbsp
- Old Monk- 1.5 oz to 2 oz
- 1 cup hot water
- Liqueur 1 oz
Method
- Take a Glencairn whisky glass and add two spoons of lime juice.
- Mix the lime juice with a tbsp of honey.
- Now take a slice of apple and insert a clove in it. The same has to be done with orange. Add the two slices of each fruit into the glass.
- Take a lighter and heat-up the cinnamon piece, and star anise for a few seconds until hot. This will help to bring out the original and natural flavor and oils present in the spices.
- Add the lime wedge into the glass and give it a nice stir.
- Finally, add 2 ounces of old Monk and your favorite liqueur in the glass.
- Top it up with half a cup of hot water, stir and taste your spicy and fruity hot toddy.
Best Whisky For An Old Fashioned Hot Toddy
Bourbon
Bourbon has several health benefits attached to it. Drinking Bourbon helps in reducing weight, and the spirits in the Bourbon help heal diseases like cancer. Bourbon has antioxidants that help to keep the heart healthy and strong. This whisky has no calories; thus, it also has fewer carbs that help reduce weight.
The whiskey helps cure a cold, stress and helps improve blood circulation, too, with many oaks, vanilla, and softer wheat notes. It also has caramel notes that make it taste sweet, but it has no fat. Use Bourbon of your choice, and make the best tasting hot toddy ever.
Dark Rum
Rum is also one of the best alcohols for making a perfect glass of Hot Toddy. It keeps the heart healthy and is also known to keep the cholesterol levels in the body balanced. Studies show that consuming dark rum helps in reducing muscle and joint pain.
Dark rum is known to ease anxiety issues, helps prevent cold and cough as it has a warming effect. Sipping dark rum makes you feel hot from within and makes a hot toddy perfect for winters.
Consuming rum in hot toddy makes it sweeter and tastier.
These two are the best whisky for an old-fashioned hot toddy.
Conclusion
The best whisky for hot toddy is the one that suits you and your taste buds. Choose any, but the best will be one with many health benefits attached to it, like Bourbon, cognac, and rum.
For the winter months, it is one of the best hot cocktails to enjoy. It will help cure fever, cold, cough and keep your heart, stomach, and liver healthy. Therefore, to stay healthy, have a glass of hot toddy and enjoy the spicy notes, sweet honey, and mouth-watering flavor of the whisky.
