It is a perfect evening for a hot apple toddy. As the rain falls and the cold air surrounds us – it is the best treat for this kind of wet, wintery night. I used the modern recipe tonight and my husband enjoyed it so much and asked for another cup. It’s a simple recipe to make and the ingredients are ones that you might already have in your own kitchens. Enjoy! Oh…and stay warm! xo Coleen

“From the middle of the eighteenth century to the dawn of the twentieth, the toddy, a versatile and resilient precursor of the cocktail, dominated the landscape of American drinking…Around the 1780’s, a variant of the toddy appeared, even more popular in the Chesapeake region than the original: the apple toddy…Maryland had a special fondness for the drink that stretched into the early decades of the 1900s” – “Forgotten Maryland Cocktails” by Nicole and Gregory Priebe

Historical Recipe 

Makes 6 Gallons 

Ingredients

48 Apples   (preferably Newtown Pippins)    

½ Pint Peach Brandy 

2 Gallons Water                

½ Pint Curacao 

6 Pints French Brandy            

1 Bottle Champagne 

3 Pints Apple Brandy            

4 pounds of powdered leaf sugar 

3 Lemons peeled and thinly sliced        

Directions 

Roast and quarter the apples. Pour two gallons of boiling water over the apples and let all stand till cold. 

Press through a sieve to remove the skin and the seeds.  

Add six pints of French Brandy to the mixture  Continue to add three pints of apple brandy, a half-pint of peach brandy, a half-pint of curacao, three sliced thin peeled lemons, one bottle of champagne and four pounds of powdered leaf sugar. 

Modern Recipe 

Ingredients 

1 tsp honey                    

2 ounces of whiskey or apple brandy    

5 ounces of apple cider (to taste)       

Directions

Heat up the apple cider in a pan.  While heating the cider, warm up a coffee mug or Irish coffee glass. 

Coat the bottom of the warm coffee mug with honey and add the whiskey or apple brandy. 

Fill the mug with hot apple cider. 

To top off with garnish, you may add a lemon wedge, cinnamon stick or 2-3 cloves.