Toddy time

It's the cure for all colds, temperature-wise or symptom-wise. I don't come from a family of teetotalers, but growing up, it nevertheless felt strange that my parents and grandmother were such promoters of the hot toddy. Hot water, honey, lemon and a jigger of whiskey: nothing could make you feel finer. Now, in my adulthood, a phone call to my mom or dad on a sick day still comes with the typical get-plenty-of list, ending with a toddy prescription. These are the times I can actually hear a twinkle in someone's eye.

Salvatore Calabrese has since been my go-to man when it comes to recipes for after-work tonics and night caps, and his recipe for the hot toddy lends a teeny tiny bit of spice with the addition of a few cloves and a cinnamon stick. I definitely did not wait for my first cold of the season to break out my toddy mug. With a stuffy nose I may have missed these subtle flavor notes (non-stuffy noses often lead to stuffy-sounding food and beverage writing, don't they?).