There’s a reason so many singers drink whiskey and honey before heading into the recording studio: it soothes the throat.
Drink the two hot with any combination of tea, lemon, cloves or cinnamon and you’ve got a hot toddy, a drink so traditional it has no one derivation. (Rumor has it, scotch was the original base spirit, to which honey was added to make it more palpable, but there’s no evidence anyone’s found to prove it either way.)
As November’s chill sets in, so does flu season. The medicinal qualities of hot toddies are questionable (lest we forget, alcohol dehydrates the immune system), but there’s something about cupping a warm beverage in your hands for comfort, and that combination of whiskey, honey and lemon that soothes the sorest of throats.
Hot toddy (traditional)
2 ounces whiskey (rye, bourbon or scotch) or brandy
1 teaspoon honey
Hot water or hot tea of choice
Juice of 1 lemon
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1 cinnamon stick
In a mug or heat-proof glass, stir whiskey and honey until honey dissolves; fill with hot water or tea. Add lemon juice to taste; stir with cinnamon stick. Drink hot.