I’ve been sick for about three weeks now. After the first week of coughing and hacking, Mr. bot insisted I seek out the wisdom of a health-care provider. Turns out I had pnumonia, and got a script for antibiotics and cough syrup. The bug I came down with is a resistant little sucker, and a change of antibiotics was in order. Three weeks later, I’m still coughing and hacking. Mr. bot just fixed me a mug of Hot Toddy; I’m still coughing but I don’t care.
That is all. Hot Toddys rulz!
The only toddy recipes I’m familiar with involve sugar-based batter and are beyond yummy: the Hot Buttered Rum and the Tom and Jerry. What are some other good ones?
When I was a kid I liked the song “Hot Toddy” without knowing what it was. I was thinking about that just the other day. Want to share recipes for that and Tom and Jerry?
Hot Buttered Rum was a favorite after regattas at the sailing club.
I was in Denmark when I got the worst cold of my life. A good Viking friend got tired of my whining and took me to a little cafe for a pot of tea and a big glass of rum. I had to drink it all. Then I got into bed and the quilts were piled high on me and secured. (This was in the “summer.”) I tried to get out from under the quilts, but I wasn’t allowed to. I was made to sweat out the cold. My God. The Scandanavians are a hardy stock. It worked.
A common Irish one, known just as “hot whiskey” is as follows:
In an 8 oz (or smaller) highball glass put:
1 slice of lemon, studded with cloves
1 tsp sugar (or honey)
Squeeze of lemon juice
Fill to halfway point with boiling water. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Top up with Irish whiskey.
After 1 you don’t care about your cold; after 2 you have no cold (until the next morning).
Rum can be substituted for whiskey.
Tom & Jerrys are a hassle to make, but well worth it. They’re like what I always wanted eggnog (which I hate) to taste like.
Here’s how I do it:
1 egg, separated
2 T. sugar
1 shot brandy
1 shot Myer’s Rum
1.5 cups milk
nutmeg/cinnamon for garnish
Beat the egg white & 1 T. sugar in standing mixer (or whatever kind of mixer you have) until egg white is stiff.
Whisk egg yolk and the other T. sugar until egg yolk is pale yellow & frothy. Add in the brandy & rum, then fold in the egg whites.
Meanwhile, heat milk in microwave or small pan until warm.
Divide the batter between two mugs; fill with warm milk. Sprinkle nutmeg and/or cinnamon on the top.
Now I want one. It’s 8:30 am. This is a bad thing. But wait… it’s eggs! Eggs are for breakfast, right?
By God, I’m a viking! My father was Norwiegien. I think this is how the whole Viking thing got started.
My great-grossen-mutter was in the kitchen, and great-grossen-vater was underfoot. She told him to “go outside and play!” Great-Grossen-vater replied “It’s freezing out there, the fjords are frozen solid!” She filled his stien with alchohol and sugar water; and repeated " Go outside and play!" Fortified with alchohol and sugar, the men loaded their boats with provisions, and they sailed away to, say; Ireland. Where they established outposts, and diddled the wimmen. My great-Grossen-mutter didn’t care, as long a they were outta her hair.
Does that sound plausible?
It wouldn’t be a Hot Whiskey then though. 
I have to go and buy some cheap whiskey tomorrow- I can hear irishfella hacking his lungs up in the next room and he always feels better after a hot whiskey.
All we have in the house is an 18 year old Single malt, and I’m sure as hell not making toddies with that!
He can have a hot rum tonight.
Or for the boiling water.
Grand Marnier, people, it’s all about GRAND MARNIER!
Actually a sore throat/cough is just a good excuse to sip on some…
Strong ginger root infusion, lemon, honey, and a shot of whisky or brandy. It feels like a slow-release heat bomb dropping into your toes by way of the marrow, and when it’s reached as far as it can go, it starts to rise again.
That might be worth getting a cold for. Do you have a recipe, or is it a dollop and a dash?