We all know what a Hot Toddy is – a simple mixture of alcohol (usually whisky), hot water, honey and if you want to be more adventurous, additional ingredients such as lemon and spices. Usually imbibed in cold and/or wet weather the hot toddy is also fabled for its cold fighting abilities – I’m not a medical professional so I can’t say if this will actually help or not but it certainly makes me feel a bit better getting some whisky inside me!
I’ve made several hot toddies in my time, some more successful than others. Somehow I never seem to get the mixture or the ratios quite right. Thankfully for me Angels’ Share Glass have come up with a simple solution. They sell ready made jars of Hot Toddy Mix. Their mixture is certainly on the more adventurous side of the hot toddy world with a wide range of ingredients including: jam, sugar, citric acid, vinegar, fresh ginger, fresh chillies, organic honey, fresh cinnamon, fresh lemons, brown sugar, cloves and spices. All you have to do is use a spoonful of the mixture, add a splash of your favourite whisky and some hot water, stir well and you’re ready to go!
So is it any good? Well luckily for me Angels' Share Glass kindly sent me a free pot of the mix to try and review which I did enthusiastically! Here’s how it went:
First Attempt
1. A spoonful of Hot Toddy mix.
2. A splash of your favourite whisky – I went for good old Highland Park 12 year old.
3. Add hot water – remember here it needs to be hot but not boiling!
4. “Then sit back, relax and let it soothe your soul.”
Well unfortunately for me I hadn’t got the ratio right (as always). There wasn’t enough of the mix or the whisky and I’d added too much hot water. The whisky was overpowered and although the hot toddy mix was obviously there the flavours were watered down. So on to….
Second Attempt
1. A spoonful of Hot Toddy Mix. This time I added a more generous dollop of the mixture.
2. A splash of your favourite whisky – this time I went for Lagavulin 16 year old. In the first mix the Highland Park had been overpowered and with more Hot Toddy Mix in the glass this time I wanted to make sure the whisky had a fighting chance so I went for something packed with strong flavours.
3. Add hot water – considerably less this time, about the same ratio of water to whisky.
4. “Then sit back, relax and let it soothe your soul.”
This time I most certainly did sit back, relax and let it soothe my soul! Firstly the Lagavulin gave a nice sweet, smoky nose and left a lovely smokiness on the palate. As for the Hot Toddy Mix it was just right, with a good level of spice, sweetness and citrus tang. I’ll certainly be buying this in the future rather than continuing to fail to make my own mix. Even better though is the fact you can also buy it in a set, with a Glencairn Glass, handmade glass mixing spoon and a small jar of hot toddy mix, all displayed on an oak barrel stave wooden stand.
I’d also recommend checking out the rest of their range which includes some fabulous handmade glassware.