Turmeric Hot Toddy
My Turmeric Hot Toddy is the perfect drink recipe for cold winter days, or when you are just feeling a bit under the weather. Using fresh lemon, honey, blended scotch whiskey, cinnamon and anti-inflammatory spices, this delicious boozy tea is both comforting and medicinal.
In less than 10 minutes, this yummy hot toddy will have you feeling warm and cozy all over! To learn how to make this winter drink recipe, see the printable recipe card below. Take a look at the recipe video, or get Step by Step Instructions for a more detailed explanation of this recipe. For other recipe variations including a non-alcoholic option, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in this recipe’s Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe Updated: 1/15/23
TURMERIC HOT TODDY
Ingredients
Instructions
- To a 1 quart saucepan, add water (see Note #1). Bring to a full boil on high heat.
- While water is coming to a boil, peel 2 strips of Meyer lemon, and set aside. From the same lemon, squeeze lemon juice. Pour juice, and blended scotch whiskey, into an 8 ounce mug (or 9 ounce mug), and set aside.
- Once water is boiling, add cinnamon stick, star anise, and 1 strip lemon peel. Lower heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add cayenne pepper (optional), and turmeric, and stir to combine. Place a fine mesh strainer on a small measuring cup (2 cup), and strain hot spice tea. Add honey, and stir until dissolved. Pour hot tea into the prepared mug, stir, and add remaining lemon peel. Garnish with the cinnamon stick and star anise from the tea. Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Notes
- About ½ cup of water will evaporate during the entire tea making process, yielding one 8 ounce serving.
- Recipe can be increased to as many servings as desired.
- Makes one 8 ounce serving.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
120.92Fat (grams)
0.43Sat. Fat (grams)
0.06Carbs (grams)
3.53Fiber (grams)
0.62Net carbs
2.9Sugar (grams)
0.96Protein (grams)
0.44Sodium (milligrams)
18.63Cholesterol (grams)
0Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
STEP 1
To a 1 quart saucepan, add 1 ½ cups filtered water (see Note below). Bring to a full boil on high heat.
Note: About ½ cup of water will evaporate during the entire tea making process, yielding one 8 ounce serving.
STEP 2
While water is coming to a boil, peel 2 strips Meyer lemon peel, and set aside. From the same Meyer lemon, squeeze 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice. Pour lemon juice, and 1 ½ ounces blended scotch whiskey, into an 8 ounce mug (or 9 ounce mug), and set aside.
STEP 3
Once water is boiling, add 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, and 1 strip lemon peel. Lower heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
STEP 4
Remove from heat, add 1 smidgen ground cayenne pepper (optional), and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder, and stir to combine. Place a fine mesh strainer on a small measuring cup (2 cup), and strain hot spice tea. Add 1 tablespoon local honey (or to taste), and stir until dissolved. Pour hot tea into the prepared mug, stir, and add remaining lemon peel.
Note: I prefer using local honey (i.e., harvested from my local area), but any honey will work.
SERVING
Garnish with the cinnamon stick and star anise from the tea. Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Notes:
Recipe can be increased to as many servings as desired.
Makes one 8 ounce serving.
VIDEO
How to Make this Delicious Turmeric Hot Toddy!
(VIDEO COMING SOON)
Blog Comments & Tips
A cozy winter drink that has many health benefits!
My Turmeric Hot Toddy is the perfect drink to enjoy during wintertime, or when you are feeling a bit under the weather. Fresh lemon juice, local honey, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne pepper, are combined with blended scotch whiskey to make this cozy drink. Sound like the detox drink? Well…it’s much tastier than that!
When I was still living at my parents’ house, my father would always make me a hot toddy when I came down with the flu. It not only helped relax me so I could get a good night’s sleep, but it warmed my insides when I had the chills, and often helped me sweat out my fever. Even though this hot toddy uses a few different ingredients than my dad’s original recipe, it still uses the basis of his recipe. Years later, every time I’m feeling a bit chilled, I always think about making a hot toddy because of my father.
Let’s talk about the health benefits of this winter drink recipe. The addition of turmeric not only gives it a beautiful amber color, but adds many health benefits to this hot toddy. Turmeric is a very strong antioxidant. Curcumin is the primary active ingredient in turmeric, which has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. To give this tea the most health benefits, add a few grains of ground black pepper while it’s simmering to enhance the absorption of curcumin. Based on my research, there are so many benefits associated with consuming turmeric that it’s worth reading more about it. If you are interested, check out the article on Healthline.com.
Although cayenne pepper is an optional ingredient in this recipe, I highly recommend it. It adds a mild level of spicy heat that hits a few seconds after you take a sip of this boozy tea. And, it has other wonderful health benefits that add to the medicinal properties of this hot cocktail. Cayenne pepper has high levels of vitamins C & provitamin A, as well as providing vitamins B6 and K. It’s also used in a detox drink when combined with lemon juice and honey. With all these medicinal benefits, you can’t feel too bad about adding just a touch of whiskey to this drink!
How do you ensure the best results from this recipe?
My 5 tips to making a delicious Turmeric Hot Toddy:
High quality and fresh spices.
Use fresh squeezed lemon juice. Do NOT use bottled lemon juice in this recipe!
For the best flavor, use a cinnamon stick instead of ground cinnamon. Don’t be afraid of adding star anise to this tea. It has a strong licorice aroma, but doesn’t come through that strongly in the flavor once it is simmered.
Make sure your water is at a full boil before adding your spices. Once you do, turn it down to a simmer.
While the tea is simmering, prepare all your other ingredients and add them to your drink. To ensure it has that steamy quality when you sip it, you want to add your hot tea to the other ingredients in your mug immediately after it finishes simmering.
It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe.
Pimp My Recipe:
Make it Less (or More) Spicy: If you are sensitive to spiciness, you can omit the cayenne pepper. Or, just put a few granules of powder instead of a smidgen. If you love everything spicy, add up to one full pinch of cayenne pepper. You might cough a bit after taking a sip or two, but it will definitely open up your sinuses!
Make it Non-Alcoholic: Start with omitting the blended scotch whiskey from this recipe. Then, increase the amount of fresh lemon juice to 3 tablespoons, and use 1 ½ tablespoons of honey instead. When you are simmering the tea, extend the simmering time to 7-8 minutes instead of 5 minutes. Then remove pan from heat, cover, and let it steep for 2 minutes before serving with the lemon and honey.
Make it Sweeter: Just add more honey to taste. I would start with about 1 ½ tablespoons of honey, and taste for sweetness. You can always add more if needed.
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating my recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Pimp My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Santé!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to bring your water to a full boil before adding the spices.
Adapted from my father’s original recipe, and some of the Hot Toddy recipe from Liquor.com. I’ve taken the base ingredients and pimped it up with some anti-inflammatory spices, etc.
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