Skip to main content

Hot Toddy Pick-Me-Up

Image may contain Human Person and Finger
Hot Toddy Pick-Me-UpMichael Graydon + Nikole Herriott

The hot toddy is not simply a mixture of hot water and booze. It's a miracle worker, a doctor, and a life coach in a cup. And although it does seem to do the trick for everything from a sore throat to a cough, it's just as good when you're healthy. This version—from Damon Boelte, bar manager at Prime Meats restaurant in Brooklyn—omits the usual honey or sugar and plays up the herbal and spicy notes instead.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 1

Ingredients

6 ounces hot rooibos or strong Black tea (such as Ceylon)
1 ounce bourbon (preferably Wild Turkey; nothing overproof)
1 ounce Cognac (preferably Pierre Ferrand or Hine)
1/2 ounce Bénédictine
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 whole nutmeg
1 lemon wheel studded with a few cloves
1 cinnamon stick

Preparation

  1. Stir tea, bourbon, Cognac, Bénédictine, and bitters in a mug; grate a little nutmeg over. Garnish with lemon and cinnamon.

Read More
Like hot honey chicken with peaches and a dirty martini spritz.
A crowd-friendly, crisp-edged chicken and vegetable rice from chef José Andrés.
Rotisserie chicken makes quick work of these no-cook rolls with a spicy peanut sauce.
Tender, buttery breakfast pastries with crisp caramelized edges, a fragrant cinnamon-orange filling, and a crackly sugar topping.
With dramatic choux layers and fruit-rippled cream, it’s the drag queen of Polish desserts.
Like carrot farro salad and chicken paella.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.