A hot toddy is a warm drink traditionally made with some type of alcohol (usually whiskey, brandy, or rum), honey, lemon water, and sometimes a cinnamon stick. It’s a drink that many people traditionally consume when they’re sick.

Although there is little evidence that this combination of ingredients has any effect on a person’s sore throat or shortens the duration of their cold, it is believed that a hot toddy can thin phlegm and make the person feel a little bit better.

Regardless of whether these drinks actually work to cure a common cold, they are pretty tasty and can be enjoyed anytime, especially on January 11th — a day that’s commonly known as National Hot Toddy Day.

The History Of Hot Toddy Day

The history of the hot toddy is one that is regrettably not very clear. It has several different origin stories. Some people say that Scottish doctors invented this drink, while others state that it began in British-controlled India.

What is known is that an Irish doctor named Robert Bentley Todd likely heard about these drinks coming out of India or Scotland and decided to start prescribing them to people sometime during the 19th century. The rest, as they say, is history.

Before Dr. Todd had started writing prescriptions for hot toddies, they were already being widely enjoyed in the American colonies. Thanks to a steady supply of brandy and Caribbean rum, hot toddies were enjoyed by colonists who felt under the weather. By the 1850s, it was widely used as a cure for the common cold.

At some point over the past couple of years, Hot Toddy Day was created. Although we’re unsure exactly when it was made, we know it hasn’t been around for all that long. We’re also unsure of who invented this holiday or what part of the world it originated in. It appears to be one holiday that spontaneously appeared on the Internet.

Observing Hot Toddy Day

Hot Toddy Day is best observed with a nice hot toddy. And when it comes to this category of drinks, people have many options available to them. There’s the Classic Hot Toddy, Hot Apple Toddy, Hot Buttered Toddy, and Hot Cinnamon Toddy. There are literally hundreds of different hot toddy recipes on the Internet.

All a person has to do is choose one that they feel suits them best. While they’re doing so, they should definitely use the hashtag #HotToddyDay on social media to spread the word about some of their favorites. Let’s all raise our glasses and celebrate this hot drink.