The Toddy

More of an abstract concept than a recipe, the Toddy is a a style of drink which features a diluted spirit that is slightly sweetened.  Traditionally featured as a folk remedy for those who are feeling under the weather, the drink is a nice winter drink, or warm beverage to enjoy before bed, which can vary drastically depending on taste and style.

"All the rich requisites are brought from far: the table from Japan, the tea from China, the sugar from Amazonia, or the West Indies, but that

'Scotia does no such costly tribute bring,
Only some kettles full of Todian spring.'"

Allan Ramsay's poem The Morning Interview (1721)

There is a lot of contention about the Toddy.  Such points of debate include whether the drink contains tea, or just plain water; whether or not to include citrus juice; what is the ratio of water to spirit; what is the proper serving temperature; what type of sweetener to use; how much sweetener to use; whether to garnish with grated nutmeg; et cetera.  As can be seen from a few enumerated points of argument, the Toddy is truly a concept, an idea, a drink style, which while varied has similarities between each, and is not necessarily something that you follow under strict guidelines.  When making the drink, take the time to experiment and find what you enjoy about the beverage, and make it to your own satisfaction; as such I'm merely giving some of the history, my experiences, and an outline.

One of the earliest appearances of the Toddy is in Jerry Thomas' Bartender's Guide which was published in 1887.  In it, he gives recipes for cold and hot varieties of gin, whiskey, and brandy versions.  Interestingly, the recipes do not really differ much, except for the type of spirit and the temperature of the cocktail (Thomas 41-43).  However, there are two interesting things of note: first, the type of sugar used varies depending on the type of spirit; second, he lists specific "brands" of Irish whiskey for the Toddy.  The first shows that there was an attention to detail between flavors of spirits and flavors of sugar.  The second demonstrates interestingly that branding of alcohol existed as early as the 1880s, and that there was attention to the flavors and types of spirits.   The outlines used by Jerry Thomas would continue to be used by Henry Craddock, and others, in making this classic beverage (Craddock 186-187).

The Toddy is extremely similar to quite a few other types of drinks: Sling, Sangaree, Skin, or Bombo (Wondrich 138).  Each of these are extremely similar, and even Thomas, who claimed prior to his 1887 bar guide, that nutmeg was used in Slings, and not in a Toddy, would go back on his word as evidenced in the text (Thomas 40-45).  The Toddy is most likely of Scottish origin, and was a staple of American drinking for quite an extended period of time, even prior to it first appearing in print in 1750 (Wondrich 139).  Limes and lemons had no place in the Toddy, which would make it into more of a punch; honey , molasses and sugar, all had their place, depending on the locale, and what was available (Ibid).  It was in the 1870s when phylloxera struck that Scotch whiskey in a Toddy became the new fashionable craze, and according to Wondrich, the best version is that using a pot still distilled spirit since they have a heavier bod, and give the "drink a silky texture that is hard to resist" (Ibid 140).

The etymology of the word has two main stories.  The first being that the name is from the toddy drink in India, which is fermented sap of palm trees, and that the word was disseminated into Scotland by the British East India Company (Wikipedia).  The problem with this is that it doesn't explain why the drink term would be adopted by the Scottish.  In the second origin story, the term toddy is from a 1721 poem by Allan Ramsay which refers to a Todian spring, which might refer to Tod's well, an aquaduct that supplies Edinburgh with water (Ibid).  This seems more likely, though the word could have been in usage earlier than this, and the story might be a fabrication to speak about the drink.

The Toddy pictured in this cocktail is actually a rum hot Toddy made with Gosling's; the top picture features the addition of lemon juice, while the bottom one features a drink without any citrus juice.  Gosling's works well with water, but because of the bitter component, I thought it would work well with a little augmentation in terms of flavor, and a little sweetener.  Instead of hot water, I use tea; I see the Toddy as an ample opportunity to experiment with tea and the flavors of various spirits and assorted types of tea.  As such I am using an Earl Grey tea, since the bergamot oils add a nice depth of flavor which blends extremely well with that of a dark rum.  For something like gin, I'd probably use either a black or a white tea; for a Scotch or other malted whiskies, water; for bourbon, water, or a rooibos tea; for brandy, white tea or a tisane. 

Sweetener differs as well, depending on what type of spirit I am using.  Because Gosling's has that bitter, yet wonderful complex taste, I used demerara sugar, just to give it a little bit more depth of flavor, without overly sweetening it.  In the case of Scotch, bourbon or brandy, I would use honey; for gin, it would probably depend on the type of gin. Of course, I would probably try to vary the type of honey used, to better match the flavor of the whiskey.  If you want to be adventurous, you could also probably use some raspberry syrup with something like brandy, or even pineapple syrup with rum; orgeat might work well as a sweetener for a rum. 

Personally, I use Wondrich's guideline of one and half to two parts water to one part spirit (Wondrich 141).  The purpose for this is to keep the drink diluted at a level that makes it palatable and approachable for many.  However, depending on the style of liquor and the preferences of the imbiber, equal parts will also work.  Most people seemingly do not seek the pure and strong flavor of spirit, and want it to be more palatable, hence the utilization of water.  Regardless of what spirit you end up using, a good rule of thumb is, which seems to be common sense, to utilize a spirit that you want to modify and one that will retain semblances of the subtleties that it has when served neat.

There are also quite a few people who add lemon juice, or lime juice, to their drink, which gives it a sort of balance, to mitigate the slight sweetness, and provide a bit more flavor to the cocktail.  The citrus can totally ruin the drink if used it too high of an amount. Honestly, I end up doing about a fourth of the total spirit as a citrus.  This keeps the drink augmented with some flavor, but prevents it form overwhelming the taste of the spirit.  However, it should be noted that traditionally, citrus juice has no place in a Toddy, and that the inclusion of a lemon peel or skin turns the drink into a different type, that being a Skin. 

As can be seen, there are a myriad of variances you can perform with the drink; just try to have fun while simultaneously enjoying a delicious, comforting way of imbibing a spirit.  Best served prior to going to bed, the beverage is a good way to move yourself into a comfortable position with a nice book.

The Toddy:

2 ounces spirit
4 ounces water or appropriate tea
1 teaspoon sweetener
1/2 ounce citrus juice (optional)

For a hot toddy: fill a toddy mug with hot water to keep it nice and warm.  If using tea, steep the tea appropriately.  Otherwise, warm liquor, pour out the water from the toddy mug, and add the liquor, giving a brief stir with the sweetener and lemon juice.  Combine with boiling water (or tea) and give one final stir.  Adjust to taste.  Garnish appropriately. 

For a cold toddy: garnish the mug with a chunk or few of cold ice, and use cold tea or water instead of boiling water to dilute the drink.

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Craddock, Henry.  1999.  The Savoy Cocktail Book.  Originally published 1930.  London: Pavilion Books.

DeGroff, Dale. 2008. The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers.

Jackson, Michael.  1995.  Michael Jackson's Bar and Cocktail Companion: The Connoisseur's Handbook.  Originally published 1979.  Philadelphia: Running Press.

Thomas, Jerry.  1887.  Bartender's Guide.  Reprint of original.  New York: Dick and Fitzgerald.

Wikipedia contributors. "Hot toddy." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_toddy (accessed May 4, 2010).

Wondrich, David. 2007. Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar. New York: Penguin Group.