During the holidays we like to indulge in a little home-made magic elixir called Hotty Toddy. Yes, this drink has been around since dirt was invented but being the old standard it is, you just cant go wrong with this recipe. After a long day of slugging it out in the kitchen cooking a turkey or a day of shopping, it will give you a renewed outlook on life, like George Bailey running down Main Street on It’s A Wonderful Life. With New Years coming up, there is nothing like a hot drink to sooth the soul on a chilly evening with friends and family.
Oh Ho Ho It’s Magic
The true magic is simplistic in nature yet compounded with maximum flavor. Two of the secret ingredients that make this recipe so good are Allspice and Lagrima Vanilla. Allspice is the dried berry of the Jamaican pepper tree, (also known as pimento tree), it adds a pleasant aromatic warmth that will make you feel like you are sitting next to a crackling fire. Lagrima vanilla is made from the very best Ugandan vanilla beans, this is important because not only do we believe in this product and it’s quality but the taste is unlike any other vanilla. It is pure and the distinct flavor notes come through. You can use whatever your favorite vanilla brand may be, we are not affiliated with Lagrima but plug the product because it works so well and the folks at Lagrima are just plain great folks. We found this product at the 2013 IFBC conference in Seattle this past summer and have been hooked on it ever since.
For the alcohol content of this drink we chose Brandy and Irish Whiskey. In particular, Lejon Brandy and Bushmills Irish Whiskey. We have also used a Rum/Brandy mix called Holly Toddy, and a brand called Christmas Tree but these brands can be hard to find when you need them.
This brings us to the all important batter mix, this mix is a flavor packed creamy ingredient that melds it all together and brings it home. There are ready made rum batters that you can purchase but the fresh ingredients this brings to your cup and thus your lips is well worth the small effort.
Of course, you can serve a non-alcoholic version to your little ones, or perhaps a designated driver. Just add a Tablespoon of batter to a hot mug of honey crisp apple cider and enjoy.
Let make this drink already!
- Batter
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon Lagrima vanilla
- Alcohol
- 1 ounce brandy
- 1 ounce Irish whiskey
- 8 ounces boiling water
- Take a mug and add a heaping tablespoon of batter mix.
- In a shot glass pour 1/2 shot of Brandy and 1/2 shot of Irish whiskey, pour shot into the mug.
- Pour 8 ounces of boiling water in to your mug and mix.
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick or Lagrima vanilla beans, heck why not both?
- The above amounts of ingredients seems to be the optimal quantities in order to balance the drink, but as always that is subject to your own taste.
- Note: if you are making these sans alcohol, add 1 tablespoon Hotty Toddy batter mix to 8 ounces of heated honey crisp apple cider.
Happy Holidays and cheers to you!!
Bill
Contributor – Wholly Delicious Dishes
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