Hot whiskey

Ingredients

Drink

• 50 mlIrish whiskey
• 150 mlhot water
• 1 tbspsugar or honey

Garnish

• 1thick slice of lemon
• 4cloves

Directions

1. Stud the lemon slice with the cloves, pushing them through the flesh so that they stay put.
2. Studding the lemon rather than dropping cloves in loose is not decoration. It keeps them out of your mouth and holds them at the top of the glass where the steam runs over them.
3. Warm a stemmed glass by filling it with hot water and pouring it out.
4. A cold glass can crack when boiling water hits it, and the stem is there so you can hold the glass while it is still too hot to touch.
5. Stand a metal spoon in the glass before you pour.
6. The spoon draws heat away from the glass as the water goes in and stops it cracking, which is why every Irish bar has one standing in the glass.
7. Put the sugar in with a little of the hot water and stir until it dissolves.
8. Add the whiskey, pouring it into the sweetened water rather than the other way round so it mixes without stirring.
9. Top up with the rest of the hot water.
10. Water just off the boil rather than boiling. Boiling water scalds the whiskey and drives off the aromatics you are paying for.
11. Drop in the clove-studded lemon slice.
12. Stir once and leave the spoon standing in the glass.
13. Serve it hot and drink it slowly.
14. It is the standard Irish winter drink and the standard head-cold remedy, and it is not a cure for anything, whatever your grandmother told you.

Technique

• Irish whiskey rather than Scotch, which is smokier and fights the cloves.
• Honey is more common than sugar at home and gives a rounder drink.
• Some add a strip of lemon peel alongside the slice for more oil in the steam.

Substitutions

• Honey in place of sugar.
• Any blended whiskey, though the smoother the better here.

Variations

• With a cinnamon stick added to the glass.
• The Scottish hot toddy, which is essentially the same drink.
• With a spoonful of grated ginger, for a cold.

History

The standard Irish winter and head-cold remedy, served in a stemmed glass with a spoon to spread the heat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hot whiskey?

Hot whiskey is a cocktail from Ireland: irish whiskey with hot water, sugar and lemon studded with cloves. The standard Irish winter and head-cold remedy, served in a stemmed glass with a spoon to spread the heat.

How long does Hot whiskey take to make?

Hot whiskey takes 3 min of preparation and 2 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Hot whiskey?

Yes, within limits. Honey in place of sugar. Any blended whiskey, though the smoother the better here.

What is the most important thing to get right in Hot whiskey?

Studding the lemon rather than dropping cloves in loose is not decoration. It keeps them out of your mouth and holds them at the top of the glass where the steam runs over them.