Give Your Hot Toddy A Spicy Twist With This Ingredient - Tasting Table

"When the cold winds of winter creep through your layers and a deep chill takes hold in your very core, few things banish it faster than a hot toddy. The coziest of cocktails, a traditional hot toddy recipe relies on the simple combination of whiskey, hot water, lemon, and honey. It is a drink that warms you inside and out, and the addition of a touch of citrus not only balances the sweetness but also lends it some cold-fighting vitamin C."

"But there's one simple ingredient swap that can lend this classic cocktail yet another warming layer: hot honey. Hot toddies are just one among the list of drinks made better by hot honey, but in this case, that little dash of capsaicin really does wonders. Suddenly, it is not just the warmth of the drink and the belly-warming power of the booze, but also a touch of heat on the tongue that helps this beverage hold winter at bay."

"While you can use a store-bought hot honey brand, it is actually quite an easy ingredient to make at home - and homemade honey lets you control the amount of heat in the mix. You can make it with all kinds of different spicy ingredients, but the fastest and easiest homemade hot honey requires no more than honey and crushed red pepper or ground cayenne. You may need to experiment to find your perfect spice level, but whipping up a batch is nearly effortless."

"Further upgrades to your hot honey hot toddy Rui Elena/Shutterstock If you do choose to make your own hot honey, there's also no reason that you need to stick with the simplest recipe out there. You can easily infuse honey with lots of flavorful ingredients, many of which add an intriguing new angle to the classic cocktail. Black pepper, for example, lends a different sort of"

Hot honey transforms a traditional hot toddy by adding a layer of capsaicin-driven heat alongside the drink's warming whiskey and hot water. Lemon balances sweetness and contributes vitamin C, while hot honey provides a tongue-tingling spice that enhances the warming sensation. Store-bought hot honey works, but homemade hot honey allows control over spice level using crushed red pepper or ground cayenne. A basic homemade hot honey requires only honey and spice and is easy to prepare. Additional infusions, such as black pepper, can introduce different aromatic and flavor notes to the cocktail.

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