spiced-toddy

Warm up with a hot cocktail!

November 8, 2013 -- Published by

With temperatures dropping all over the place, there’s no reason you should have to settle for ice cold cocktails all  the time! The toddy is a traditional hot cocktail that consists of a spirit warmed up with hot water (or tea) and flavored with citrus (usually lemon) and spices, and does wonders for cold bones on a blustery day. Today we’ll be learning how to adapt this recipe to suit your tastebuds by picking out flavors that complement each other for a soothing:

Alcohol evaporates at a much lower temperature than water, so if you heat an alcoholic liquid too much the booze pretty much just floats away. To combat this we’ll be zapping 1 cup of water in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes, depending on your machine, or until it is steaming. Since water doesn’t really bring much flavor to the party, I highly suggest adding some via a bag of plain black tea- just throw it in to the water while you zap.I always like to add a cinnamon stick and a few cloves to the mix but depending on which spices you have a preference for, you can also toy around with allspice berries, nutmeg, star anise, peppercorns, citrus zest or really any other dried spices. Just toss them into the water about halfway through zapping (earlier if you love spice!) for an enchanting addition to the black tea. After your spiced tea is ready, simply pour 1 1/2 oz of Clique Vodka and give it a small sip. Usually a squeeze of lemon will brighten up the cocktail and give the spices room to shine, but since there are infinite spice combinations out there, I really suggest trying it first- you might have already nailed it! Oh- and if you need a touch of sweetness in there, just add a dash of simple syrup (1 part sugar dissolved in 1 part hot water)!

Want more hot cocktails for chilly weather? Check out the #Mixbook for more great recipes like the “Johnny Appleseed!