Cozy, delicious and scientifically proven to actually help cure your cold, Hot Toddies are winter staples. But there’s only so much whiskey, lemon and hot water one person can take before they tire of the same old recipe. Luckily, there’s more than one way to make a Hot Toddy. In fact, come winter, one Brooklyn bar features an entire menu of Hot Toddy variations.
Branch OFC’s co-owner, Christopher Buckley, is a firm believer in the power of the Hot Toddy. “Up until about 100 years ago, people were really cold all the time,” he says. “Taverns were places where your feet were cold but your belly was warm.” While his bar does have heat, folks still travel to OFC to warm up with his many Hot Toddies, which range from the ‘Ti Toddy (rum, lime juice and cane simple syrup), to the East Heats West (mezcal, lapsang souchong simple syrup, lemon and orange) to the Dutch Courage (genever, lavender simple syrup and lemon). “Every culture has something different,” he says. And almost everything can be turned into a Toddy. In his many Toddy trials, Buckley encountered only one troublesome flavor: annisette. So, to all those absinthe lovers looking for a warm treat, apologies, but you’ll just have to settle for one of these four new recipes from Buckley and other star bartenders around the country.