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Bon Appétit

Cold Toddy

By Andy Baraghani

5.0

(6)

Pitcher of cold toddy a citrusy gingery whiskey cocktail for summer.
Photo by Paul H. Christian, Food Styling by Michele Figliuolo

You know how at parties you can get a little, uh, hot under the collar? That’s where we got the idea to take down the temperature of a classic hot toddy for a more refreshing approach to the seasonal mix of tea, citrus, spices, and rye whiskey.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    8 servings

Ingredients

1 medium orange
5–6 medium lemons
4 (3") cinnamon sticks
1 (4") piece ginger, peeled, smashed, plus more thinly sliced for serving
4 Earl Grey tea bags
1 tsp. whole cloves
2/3 cup honey
2 cups rye whiskey
1 tsp. orange or aromatic bitters
Orange twists (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from orange and 1 lemon in wide strips, leaving white pith behind; slice fruit in half. Squeeze juice from orange into a small bowl (you should have about 1/4 cup). Squeeze juice from lemon into a measuring glass. Slice remaining lemons in half and squeeze juice into glass to measure 1 cup total; save any remaining lemon halves for another use. Set orange and lemon juice aside.

    Step 2

    Place zest in a small saucepan. Whack cinnamon sticks with the side of a chef’s knife to break up a little and add to saucepan along with smashed ginger, tea bags, cloves, and 1 3/4 cups water. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat; let sit 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, then stir in honey; let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

    Step 3

    Strain tea mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher and add rye, bitters, and reserved orange juice and lemon juice. Add 2 cups ice and stir until ice is melted and toddy is very cold.

    Step 4

    To serve, pour toddy into tumblers filled with ice and garnish with ginger slices and orange twists.

  2. Do Ahead

    Step 5

    Tea mixture can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Toddy can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill.

TagsCocktailAlcoholBeveragesCold DrinkPitcher DrinkPunchEarl GreyBlack TeaTeaWhiskeyLemonCitrusFruitOrangeCinnamonHerbs & SpicesGingerBrunchMake AheadChristmasSpringSummerBon Appétit

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