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Home » Recipes » Cocktails

Hot Toddy with Vodka

Published: Dec 27, 2022 by Lexi

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Overhead view of the finished hot toddy cocktails with lemon slices on top.

This Hot Toddy with vodka is the perfect way to warm up this winter. We're keeping all the classic flavors of honey and lemon with a little twist– vodka!

Overhead view of the finished hot toddy cocktails with lemon slices on top.
Warming, perfectly spiced, and absolutely delicious.
Jump to:
  • Why We Love This Recipe
  • Ingredients
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Instructions
  • Tips and FAQs
  • More Winter Cocktail Recipes to Enjoy
  • 📖 Recipe

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Quick and easy: Once all the ingredients are combined and heated, it's just a matter of waiting for the cocktails to steep. Plus, you probably already have these ingredients on hand!
  • Warm and cozy: This cocktail is super comforting for the cold winter months. It's best served hot in a heated mug, keeping you extra toasty while sipping (preferably next to a fireplace! Sign us up).
  • Perfectly spiced: With notes of ginger, cloves, cinnamon and honey, this hot toddy is packed with warming flavors. It would even be delicious as a mocktail without the vodka!

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this hot toddy with vodka:

Hot toddy ingredients including lemon juice and ginger.
Fresh ginger and whole spices are best for maximum flavor in this hot toddy.

Ingredient Notes

  • Cinnamon: Whole cinnamon sticks are best here for imparting the most flavor to this cocktail. If you don't have any, you can sub each cinnamon stick with ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
  • Vodka: We recommend using a good quality vodka in this cocktail, as it's the star ingredient. Make sure to wait to add the vodka until the end, otherwise the alcohol could boil out. For a more traditional hot toddy, you can substitute vodka with whiskey or bourbon.
  • Lemon juice: You have to go with freshly squeezed lemon juice in this cocktail! It's the best way to add flavor and is critical since there are so few ingredients.
  • Ginger: Again, fresh is best here for maximum flavor. That said, if you don't have any, you can sub 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger for ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger.
  • Cloves: If you don't have any whole cloves, you can use ¾ teaspoon ground cloves for every 1 teaspoon of whole cloves.
  • Honey: If you are fully vegan, you can substitute honey with maple syrup or agave nectar.

Instructions

(1) Add water, honey, and lemon juice to a small pot and whisk well. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, and ginger and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. 

Left: hot toddy liquids. Right: adding the spices in.
Whisk well to make sure the honey is completely dissolved.

(2) Reduce heat to low and let the mixture steep for about 25 minutes over low heat.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the spices and ginger.

(3) Optional: Just before serving, pour hot water into your mug and let it sit for 5 minutes. Pour the water out. (This warms up the mug so your drink stays hot for as long as possible. You can also use an insulated mug.)

Left: heated hot toddy in saucepan. Right: warming the mugs.
You can let the mixture steep for up to an hour if desired.

(4) Add vodka to the mug and pour the honey lemon water over the top. Garnish with fresh lemon slices and a cinnamon stick. Serve hot.

Finished hot toddy cocktails in glass mugs.
Garnishes are optional, but make for pretty presentation!

Tips and FAQs

  • Whisk away!: Make sure to whisk the honey, lemon juice, and water together well first before adding in the spices. The honey can be slightly thick and needs to be dissolved into the other liquids.
  • Heat your mugs: By heating your mugs prior to serving, your hot toddy cocktails will stay extra hot for a longer period of time. You can also just use an insulated mug if you have one! These are meant to sip slowly, so you don't want them to go cold.
  • Serve hot: This cocktail is best enjoyed hot so make sure to serve immediately after making.
  • Garnish: We love to garnish these hot toddy cocktails with some fresh lemon slices, a cinnamon stick, and a star anise pod.
  • Variations: Add in 1-2 lemon or orange peels for extra flavor while steeping. You can also add in other spices, like cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, etc. You can also swap vodka with another liquor of choice, like whiskey/bourbon or even gin.
  • Make it vegan: Swap honey for maple syrup or agave nectar.
  • Use high quality vodka: Unlike some mixed drinks where the vodka flavor doesn't shine through as much (like this berry basil moscow mule), you definitely taste it in this hot toddy. Higher quality is best for a great tasting cocktail!
Full overhead of the hot toddy cocktails with spices and lemon on top.
Hot toddy with vodka: the ideal way to warm up a cold winter evening.

More Winter Cocktail Recipes to Enjoy

  • Christmas Old Fashioned
  • Santa Baby Cocktail
  • Peppermint White Russian
  • Cranberry Mimosa

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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Close up overhead of the finished hot toddy cocktails in glass mugs.

Hot Toddy with Vodka


  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This Hot Toddy with Vodka is the perfect way to warm up this winter. We're keeping all the classic flavors of honey and lemon with a little twist-- vodka!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 ½ tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 large cinnamon stick
  • 7-8 whole cloves
  • 1 ½ teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger
  • 2 thinly sliced lemon wheels, for garnish
  • 1 ½ ounces vodka (high quality is best here)

Instructions

  1. Add water, honey, and lemon juice to a small pot and whisk well. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, and ginger and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and let the mixture steep for about 25 minutes over low heat.
  2.  Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the spices.
  3. Optional: Just before serving, pour hot water into your mug and let it sit for 5 minutes. Pour the water out. (This warms up the mug so your drink stays hot for as long as possible. You can also use an insulated mug.)
  4. Add vodka to the mug and pour the honey lemon water over the top. Garnish with fresh lemon slices and a cinnamon stick. Serve hot.

Notes

Variations: Add in 1-2 lemon or orange peels for extra flavor while steeping. You can also add in other spices, like cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, etc. You can also swap vodka with another liquor of choice, like whiskey/bourbon or even gin.

Make it vegan: Swap honey for maple syrup or agave nectar.

Heat your mugs: By heating your mugs prior to serving, your hot toddy cocktails will stay extra hot for a longer period of time. You can also just use an insulated mug if you have one! These are meant to sip slowly, so you don't want them to go cold.

Spice conversions for whole to ground: Cinnamon – sub 1 stick with ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Cloves – sub 1 teaspoon whole cloves with ¾ teaspoon ground cloves. Ginger – sub 1 tablespoon fresh ginger with ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Cocktails
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 210
  • Sugar: 26.4 g
  • Sodium: 17.8 mg
  • Fat: 0.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 31 g
  • Fiber: 2.3 g
  • Protein: 0.4 g

Keywords: Hot toddy with vodka

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Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

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