CHICAGO — Wednesday is "National Hot Toddy Day," so to celebrate the warm winter drink known to soothe sore throats and make Scottish whiskey go down a bit easier, here are a few spots where revelers can try variations on the classic seasonal cocktail.
Made with whiskey (or brandy, rum, sake, wine, cider, etc.) mixed with hot water, lemon and honey, a hot toddy is a heated cocktail that's believed to have originated in Scotland during the 18th century, according to a report published on Punchbowl.com
In Wicker Park, Mott St. at 1401 N. Ashland Ave. offers three spins on the Hot Toddy.
"Bond in Tokyo" is made with sake, shochu and genmaicha, or Japanese green tea; "Mr. Fawn's Winter Considerations" features Boomsma, fernet branca, chocolate and marshmallow; and "The Whiskey One" combines scotch, sherry, bitters and lemon. Mott St's Hot Toddies each cost $12.
At Cafe Robey, 2018 W. North Ave., the Wicker Park hotel bar's "Citrus Toddy" is made with grapefruit peel infused Finn's Gin, Mandarin liqueur, lemon peel honey syrup, and lavender and orange bitters. The $12 concoction uses Rare Tea Cellars Emperors Chamomile tea steeped for a minimum of two minutes.
At Bread and Wine, 3734 W. Irving Park Road in Irving Park, "Sarah's Red Wine Hot Chocolate" toddy combines melted chocolate chips with red wine, milk and other ingredients. The dessert-style drink is $11, or intrepid cooks can make it at home using this recipe shared by Bread & Wine.
At neighboring Downtown restaurants NAHA, 500 N. Clark and Brindille, 534 N. Clark, general manager and beverage director Amy Starr has devised "Hot Clyde! Cider in the City."
Starr says the name is a riff on the Loving Spoonful song "Summer in the City." Starr's Hot Toddy is made with Clyde May's Alabama Whiskey (made with apple cider), a spoonful of Tim Burton's Maplewood Farm maple syrup and lemon. The $14 drink is served hot and garnished with an apple "snowflake."
Moody's Pub, 5910 North Broadway Ave. in Edgewater offers "The Big Apple," featuring a warm mug full of hot cider and rum and appropriately sprinkled with cinnamon. Get there early for your spot by one of the fireplaces to cure your winter blues.
Revival Social Club, 1133 W. Granville Ave. in Edgewater offers a "Corpse Revival No. 1" or "Corpse Revival No. 2", each $11, but if those won't bring you back to life, try a Chai Toddy. Made with chai-infused bourbon and Koval Ginger Liqueur, the drink is topped with honey and lemon and can be served hot or cold (tip: get it hot).
The Grafton, 4530 N. Lincoln Ave. in Lincoln Square, serves both a classic hot toddy and a chai version. The classic Hot Toddy, $8, features Irishman Original whiskey, sugar in the raw and cloved lemon. The Chai Toddy, $9, is made with Oregon Chai, house bourbon, honey and a splash of milk and is served with a cinnamon stick.
Fountainhead, 1970 W. Montrose Ave., in Lincoln Square has "The Hot Bourbon Cider," sure to hit the spot on a cold winter's night. The cocktail, $10, is made with Four Roses bourbon, JK Scrumpy Hard Cider, Mick Klug Farms organic apple cider, and is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Since the hot toddy owes its origins to Ireland and Scotland, it's not surprising that one can be found at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro, 3905 N. Lincoln Ave. in North Center. The Bistro Toddy, $10, features Paddy whiskey infused with spices, Irish tea simple syrup, candied orange and an Irish Mist cherry.
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