The Hot Toddy (2026): How to Make It Right, the Best Whiskey for It, and 8 Bottles from $27.99
A hot toddy is the simplest warm drink in the whiskey repertoire: whiskey, honey, lemon and hot water, built in a mug in about two minutes. It is also the drink most often made badly, with boiling water poured onto a shot of whatever was open, no measuring, and a lemon that was never squeezed properly. Get the proportions and the bottle right and it becomes something you will actually look forward to on a cold October night.
The drink is older than most cocktails. The earliest documented toddy dates to 1741 in England, Charles Dickens has a character order a whisky toddy in The Pickwick Papers, and Jerry Thomas's 1862 bartending guide gave the American version. What has not changed is the structure: spirit, sweetener, acid, hot water. That structure is forgiving, which is why the whiskey you choose matters more than any garnish. Below is the recipe, the reasoning behind it, and the specific bottles we would pour, all in stock as of today.
The 8 bottles for a better hot toddy
The recipe that works
Use 2 oz of whiskey, 1 tablespoon (about 1/2 oz) of honey, 1/2 oz of fresh lemon juice and 4 to 5 oz of hot water. Warm the mug first with hot tap water, then pour it out. Add the honey and lemon, then the whiskey, and stir until the honey dissolves. Top with water that has just come off the boil and let it sit for 30 seconds before you taste it. Garnish with a lemon wheel, a cinnamon stick and, if you like, two or three whole cloves pressed into the lemon.
Three details separate a good toddy from a sad one. First, do not pour boiling water directly onto the whiskey; letting the kettle rest for half a minute keeps the aromatics from being flattened. Second, dissolve the honey in the lemon and a splash of hot water before adding the whiskey, so it does not sink to the bottom as a lump. Third, squeeze the lemon yourself. Bottled juice makes a flat drink and a fresh lemon is the cheapest upgrade available.
A toddy is a comfort drink, not a medicine. It is pleasant when you are run down, but the heat and the sweetness are doing the work of making you feel better, not the alcohol, so keep the pour modest and drink it slowly.
Irish whiskey: the classic choice
Irish whiskey is the natural base for a toddy because it is soft, lightly sweet and rarely aggressive. Jameson Irish Whiskey ($38.99) is the benchmark: gentle, a little grassy, with vanilla and honeyed malt that sit comfortably under lemon. It is also the easiest bottle to find a use for afterward, since it works in an Irish coffee, a highball or over ice.
If you want more depth, step up to Bushmills Black Bush ($45.99). It is a malt-heavy blend with a strong sherry-cask influence, so it brings dried fruit and a rounder, fruitier sweetness that pairs well with cinnamon and clove. The extra richness means you can use a little less honey. For more on the category, see our guide to the best Irish whiskeys, and browse the full Irish whiskey collection.
Bourbon: rounder, sweeter, more vanilla
Bourbon makes a richer, sweeter toddy, with caramel and vanilla leading and the lemon cutting through. Bulleit Bourbon ($37.99) is a good middle-of-the-road pick because its high-rye mash bill adds a peppery lift that stops the drink from tasting cloying. If you want a bourbon that will not disappear once you add hot water, look at proof.
That is the case for Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond ($38.99). By law a bottled-in-bond whiskey is 100 proof, so it carries more flavor through the dilution and stays assertive against the honey. It is also a good value for the style; if the designation is new to you, our bottled-in-bond primer explains what it guarantees. The wider bourbon collection has plenty more to try.
Rye: for people who find toddies too sweet
A rye toddy is drier, spicier and more savory, which some people prefer once the honey and lemon are in. Sazerac 6 Year Straight Rye ($34.99) has the peppery, herbal character to stand up to clove and cinnamon, and it makes a toddy that reads more like a warm Manhattan than a nightcap. If you are unsure whether rye or bourbon suits you, our bourbon vs. rye comparison covers the difference, and the rye whiskey collection lists every bottle we carry.
The shortcut: honey liqueurs
If you would rather skip measuring honey, a honey liqueur does the sweetening and adds spirit at the same time. It is easy to overdo, so treat these as a base and add lemon to balance them. Wild Turkey Honey ($27.99) is the budget option and the sweetest of the group; use 2 oz with 1/2 oz of lemon and hot water and skip added honey entirely. Irish Mist ($31.98) is an Irish-whiskey-based honey liqueur with an herbal edge that works well with a lemon wheel.
Drambuie ($47.99) is the fanciest of the three. It is a Scotch-based liqueur made with honey, herbs and spices, and a half ounce added to 1.5 oz of Irish whiskey or blended Scotch gives you a toddy that tastes finished. Stock on Drambuie is limited, so grab it while it lasts. Every option here lives in the cordials and liqueurs collection or the whiskey aisles.
Variations worth knowing
Swap the honey for maple syrup for a bourbon toddy that leans toward fall. Add a strip of orange peel alongside the lemon for a more aromatic drink, or steep a tea bag in the hot water for a lighter, more tannic version; black tea and chamomile both work well. If you want an apple note, warm cider in place of the water turns it into something close to the drinks in our apple-season bourbon cocktail guide. For more cold-weather drinks, our fall whiskey cocktail roundup has eight more.
Which bottle should you buy?
If you want one bottle for toddies, pour Jameson at $38.99 and you will not be disappointed. If you already own a bourbon, use it, but check the proof: anything at 80 proof will taste thin once diluted. For a bottle that also earns its keep neat, Bushmills Black Bush or Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond are the ones we reach for. Prices above are live as of publication.
Shop the bottles
Browse the full whiskey collection for everything in stock, or start with the Irish whiskey and bourbon shelves, where most of the toddy bottles above live.
