When its chilly outside and it gets dark really early there is nothing better than warming up your hands with a nice chai tea hot toddy. An update on a classic hot toddy, this cocktail has a beautiful spicy aroma from the chai tea, sweetness from the honey and is balanced by the lemon juice. This updated version of a hot toddy is the perfect thing to lift your spirits and keep you cozy on cold winter nights.

Often cherished as a home remedy to sooth cold and flu symptoms, hot toddy’s are delicious even when you aren’t feeling under the weather. This warm drink is comfort in a mug.

Ingredients (and Substitutes)

Chai tea – For this recipe we used Tetley Chai Tea. We found that the flavor of the hot toddy was better when it was made with a black tea versus a herbal tea. If you want a non-caffeinated drink I would recommend using a decaffeinated version or rooibos tea and preferrable something that doesn’t have any sweetener in it.

Whisky – This cocktail has a lot of big flavors in it so you don’t need to use the boldest whiskey in your liquor cabinet. We used Dewar’s White Label which has notes of honey, vanilla and pear. Some good alternatives would be Johnnie Walker’s Red Label or The Famous Grouse.

Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed will always deliver the best flavor, but if you only have the bottled stuff it will still work great. Lemon juice adds a great hint of tang that makes the flavor of the spices and honey more pronounced in the final cocktail.

How to make a chai tea hot toddy

It only takes a few minutes and a couple of steps to put this cocktail together.

Prepare the garnish by pushing cloves through orange slices.
Steep your tea of choice, for 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before mixing cocktail.
In a mug, gently stir in honey, lemon juice and whisky. Garnish with orange.

Questions about chai tea hot toddy

What is a hot toddy? A hot toddy is a hot drink made with whisky or bourbon, honey, and lemon. There are lot of different stories about where the drink initially came from with many connecting it to the cold winters in Scotland. Wherever its from, it is undeniable that it is the perfect drink to warm up to in the winter.

Can I make my own chai tea? Yes absolutely, if you have the spices in your cabinet you can easily make your own tea for this cocktail. We really like the Tea for Turmeric recipe for Masala Chai.

Does chai tea have caffeine? Yes, normally chai tea does have caffeine. However, there are lots of great decaffeinate versions available at most grocery stores. Look for blends that are either marked as decaf or use rooibos tea leaves.