A hot toddy with rum is the best warming drink! Use white, aged, or dark rum for this easy recipe that’s been around for centuries.
Here’s a drink to lift your spirits: the Rum Hot Toddy! This hot beverage has been around for centuries, and with one sip you’ll know why. It warms you from your head to your toes (imagine that in those eras with no central heating!).
Rum melds seamlessly into hot water and honey, which opens and accentuates its flavors. You can make this drink with white, aged, or dark rum: each adds different flavor components.
5 Star Reader Review
“I made this today for my husband (and myself, of course!). He absolutely loved the rum toddy! We both loved the hints of cinnamon and lemon, and I used maple syrup, as you suggested. Your recipe will certainly be repeated!” -Francine
Ingredients In A Hot Toddy With Rum
The hot toddy is a mixed drink made of liquor, hot water, and honey, often including lemon, or tea. It originated in India and was standard in Britain as early as the 1780’s! By the mid-1800’s, Americans were prescribing it as a cure for the common cold.
The original hot toddy was made with whiskey like Scotch. But once it spread to America, it was made with rum or brandy, which were the easiest to find spirits at the time. (It’s not like today, where you can get a bottle of just about any type of liquor at your liquor store!) Here are the ingredients you’ll need for a hot toddy with rum:
- Rum: Any type of rum works in this drink; see more on choosing a rum below.
- Pure maple syrup or honey: I like using maple syrup here. Honey can taste slightly medicinal with lemon and rum but it also works.
- Hot water: I heat it in my electric tea kettle.
- Lemon: Squeeze in a wedge of lemon, or you can also float a lemon wheel on top.
- Cinnamon stick (optional): This adds a hint of cozy spices.
Types of Rum
You can use any type of rum for a hot toddy with rum, and each one adds unique flavor notes to the drink. You might think of white rum for Daiquiris and Mojitos, but it works very well in a rum hot toddy. An even better fit are aged and dark rum, which add intriguing flavor notes. Here’s how each change the flavor:
- White rum has a straightforward flavor with a signature fruity finish
- Aged rum, aka añejo rum, has notes of vanilla, coconut, almond, citrus, or caramel
- Dark rum has a deep, caramel flavor and notes of cinnamon and spices
- Spiced rum is already infused with warm spices, so you can skip the cinnamon stick if you like
How To Make A Rum Hot Toddy
A hot toddy is a cozy, restorative drink to sip by the fire (it was once thought to be a cure for the common cold). Because of that, it’s less of a fancy cocktail and more like making tea. Here’s what to do:
- Mix: In the serving glass, stir together 1 ½ oz rum with ½ oz maple syrup or honey. We like the mix of pure maple syrup with rum (honey can taste slightly medicinal, but still delicious!).
- Add hot water: Pour in ½ cup hot water.
- Add lemon: Squeeze in a lemon wedge.
- Garnish: Add a cinnamon stick if desired.
Maple Syrup, Honey, or Brown Sugar?
Maple syrup is my default for its cozy flavor with hints of caramel. Honey is the classic choice for a hot toddy, though I like it slightly better with maple flavor-wise.
For a even deeper flavor you can use 1 tablespoon brown sugar, which dissolves into the hot water. A splash of demerara syrup works too!
Serving It For A Crowd
Entertaining and want to make this rum hot toddy recipe for a crowd? You can certainly do so: and it’s very easy to mix up. Simply heat up the following ingredients on the stovetop until hot but not boiling:
- 4 cups hot water
- 1 ½ cups rum
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
Once it’s heated, garnish in the same way as the single serving. Squeeze in the juice from a lemon wedge, and add a cinnamon stick if you like. That’s it!
More Hot Toddy Recipes
There are lots of variations on the theme! Here are a few more hot toddy recipes I love:
- Make a classic hot toddy
- Mix up a bourbon hot toddy or brandy hot toddy
- Use cider instead for an Apple Cider Hot Toddy
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Rum was a go-to liquor for a hot toddy in colonial America. Any type works, though I specifically love aged and dark rums for their caramel and vanilla notes.
This hot toddy has 1 ½ oz of 80-proof rum per 6 oz drink, so it has about 10% alcohol (ABV). That’s the same amount of alcohol as one standard cocktail, just diluted with hot water.
It’s personal preference! I like the rum hot toddy better because it’s a little rounder and sweeter, but whiskey makes a delicious hot toddy as well. Try my bourbon hot toddy and tell me which you like better in the comments below!
Rum Hot Toddy
Pin RecipeThe hot toddy with rum is the best warming drink! Use white, aged, or dark rum for this easy recipe that’s been around for centuries.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces rum of any type
- ½ ounce pure maple syrup or honey
- ½ cup steaming hot water
- 1 lemon wedge
- 1 cinnamon stick, optional
Instructions
- In the serving glass, stir together the rum and maple syrup (or honey).
- Pour in the hot water. Garnish with a lemon wedge, squeezing in the juice, and the cinnamon stick.
- Variation for 8 servings: Warm 4 cups water, 1 ½ cups rum, and ½ cup maple syrup on the stovetop until hot but not boiling. Garnish with lemon and serve.
from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/B2zvtMD
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