If you are in need of a warming, relaxing, cozy drink to heat you up in the winter, as I am, and if you are obsessed with anything ginger, as I am, then this drink is for you.
In the beginning of January Paul and I took a road trip to central Wisconsin to visit his brother. Of course we picked one of the coldest weekends to travel further north than we already live.
The wind chills were negative 13 in Iowa! It was even worse up in Wisconsin, or at least it seemed that way to me. Our original plan was to spend Saturday skiing down some Midwestern “slopes”. Paul and I didn’t even bring our skis because it was so cold. Think, negative 13 plus add more wind chill as you speed down the hill. No amount of mittens and layers of long underwear was going to keep me warm that day. No thank you!
Instead we spent our day walking around downtown, ducking in and out of shops, and visiting art museums. We weren’t even outside for more than 5 minutes at a time, but if the wind would pick up just a little bit, it would send chills down my entire spine. The only part of my body that wasn’t covered in layers was my face, and it hurt, it literally hurt.
So, when we went to grab some dinner at a really awesome local brewery, I knew I needed something to warm me up from the inside out.
Ice cold beer from a local brewery is definitely not what would warm me up.
I ordered a warm spirit, assuming that it would come in a little dinky after-dinner drink mug. As long as it was warm I didn’t care.
It arrived in a large full-sized mug. It was gingery, a little sweet, with the perfect amount of spice and a hint of warm whiskey. It was just what I needed. It warmed me right up.
Imagine if we would have gone skiing that day. I would have needed about 5 drinks to warm me up!
When I returned from our weekend trip I was determined to make my own version of this alluring, warming drink.
What I came up with is the ultimate Ginger Hot Toddy.
Best part is it only has 4 ingredients and it comes together with just a spoon to stir and a microwave to heat.
It is even Paul-approved, which is a surprising bonus because Paul hates anything that has a strong ginger flavor.
Trust me; if you ever need a drink to warm you up on a wintery night, this is the one.
It is a little sweet with a lot of spicy ginger, and with the warming flavors of honey and a good Irish whiskey. I know what my drink of choice will be this weekend!
Ginger Hot Toddy
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Drink
- Cuisine: Winter Cocktail
Description
This ginger hot toddy will warm you from the inside out. It gets its ginger flavor from ginger beer. All you need is a microwave to warm it up and a spoon to mix.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce good quality whiskey (I used Jameson Irish Whiskey)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 bottle (12 ounces) ginger beer * (see notes for suggestions on ginger beer)
- 1 wedge of lemon, for garnish and for squeezing
Instructions
- In a mug, or a microwave-safe glass add the whiskey and honey. Gently heat in the microwave, just to warm it slightly. Use a spoon to mix the honey into the whiskey, until dissolved.
- Pour in the bottle of ginger beer, stir to combine. Gently heat in the microwave until warm. You don’t want it to be hot like tea or coffee, because the carbonation and the spiciness of the ginger beer irritate the back of the throat if served too hot.
- Serve immediately with a lemon wedge on the rim. I like the lemon squeezed into the hot toddy.
Notes
*Do not use ginger ale for this recipe. I recently learned that the difference between ginger ale and ginger beer is huge. Ginger ale is more of a traditional pop that has a little artificial ginger flavoring; it has much more of a syrupy consistency and is much more sugary. Ginger beer, on the other hand, is made from fresh ginger juice and is usually sweetened with natural cane sugar. The ginger flavor is very intense and is usually quite a bit spicy, like true ginger should be. Ginger beer is usually non-alcoholic, although there are a few brands that do contain alcohol. I found my ginger beer in the organic section of my local grocery store. If you can’t find it in a store I suggest looking online.
For more information on selecting brands of ginger beer, read this post by Love and Olive Oil
Inspired by: The Red Eye Brewing Company in Wausau, Wisconsin
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