Maker’s Mark brought to me…a hot toooooddddddddyyyyyyyy.

The husband and I discovered the delights of the classic hot toddy three winters ago on a weekend trip to Portland.  That’s the same weekend we discovered The Fireside, a gastropub in the Alphabet District.  I still remember sitting at the bar discovering hot toddy (there’s has a slightly peppery flavor) and hot beet soup.  Both were delightful and have endeared me to that cozy little restaurant.  Seems like it should be about time to return to P’land.

My hot toddy is nothing fancy.  Classic ingredients:  water, fresh lemon juice, honey, cinnamon stick and clove.  I currently have two different honeys in the cupboard, both of which I adore.  The first I brought back from Santa Fe after stumbling into the Santa Fe Honey Salon.  The owner walked me through a tasting of 10 (or was it 15?) different honeys.  Yum.  The second is my annual honey allotment from my Grandparents.  A guy puts hives in their field every summer, right next to the blackberry bushes, and rewards them with a couple of gallons of fresh honey for the use of their land.  They, in turn, distribute it among the family.  Double yum.

I like my toddies super-lemony and nice-and-sweet.  My recommendation would be to do as I have, start with the basic ingredients and tweak to your own preference.

Hot Toddy (makes 2)

2 c water
6 tblsp fresh lemon juice (reserve 2 slices of lemon)
3-4 tblsp honey
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
2 jiggers full of Maker’s Mark (or your preferred whiskey)

Mix water, lemon juice, honey, cinnamon sticks and clove in a saucepan.  Heat to almost a boil.  Pour a jigger of whiskey into two mugs (1 per mug).  Add one slice of lemon to each mug.  Split hot liquid between two mugs, adding a cinnamon stick and 3 cloves to each mug.  Cures what ails you!