Guide
Spiced Rum Hot Toddy Recipe
A toddy built on dark rum instead of whiskey, with a quick spice steep that gives the drink an anise and clove backbone. Steeping the spices in the hot water first, rather than dropping them into the finished drink, is what makes the difference in two minutes rather than twenty. Rich, warming, and darker in flavor than the whiskey version.
Spiced Rum Hot Toddy
Ingredients
- 2 oz (60 ml) dark or spiced rum
- 2 tsp demerara sugar, or honey
- 0.5 oz (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 5 oz (150 ml) hot water, about 80 °C / 175 °F
- 1 star anise
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 orange half-wheel, to garnish
Instructions
- Boil the kettle, then bring the water to roughly 80 °C / 175 °F before it meets the spices: stir about 1 part cold water into 4 parts boiling, or leave the kettle uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes. A thermometer removes the guesswork.
- Put the star anise, cloves, and cinnamon stick in a heatproof mug and pour in the hot water.
- Let the spices steep for 2 minutes, no longer, then lift out the cloves and star anise with a spoon.
- Add the demerara sugar and stir until it has completely dissolved.
- Stir in the lemon juice.
- Pour in the rum and stir once to combine.
- Taste and adjust with a little more lemon if the rum is a sweet spiced one.
- Garnish with the orange half-wheel and leave the cinnamon stick in as a stirrer.
Often typed hot tottie, which is the same drink. As with any toddy, this is a warming drink and not a remedy for a cold or any other illness.
Tips
- Two minutes of steeping is the ceiling. Cloves in particular turn bitter and numbing if you leave them sitting in hot water for five.
- Demerara suits rum better than white sugar; its molasses edge lines up with what is already in the spirit.
- If your rum is a sweetened spiced bottling rather than a straight dark rum, cut the sugar to 1 tsp or the drink turns cloying.
- Warm the mug first with a splash of hot water. A cold ceramic mug pulls the drink down 10 degrees before you have taken a sip.
FAQ
What usually goes wrong?
Leaving the whole spices in while you drink it. The steep keeps going in the mug and the last third of the drink tastes of nothing but clove.
How do I store it?
Make one at a time and drink it hot. Reheating cooks off the rum and leaves a flat, sugary spiced water.
Why do my times differ?
Ovens differ. Use the times as a guide and judge by how it looks and feels.