Chiberia has returned and it’s more powerful than ever. (That’s a complete lie. It’s still warmed than it was last year this time) And with that intense cold comes an intense need to warm up fast. I only recently discovered the true wonder of the hot toddy and decided that with the cold, it was high time to make this at home.

Now before I get into the recipe, I need you to remember a few things: 1) I don’t have any whole spices. There’s no room in this tiny Chicago apartment kitchen to keep all those jars plus a grinder. So we have things already ground. I recommend doing this with whole spices instead. 2) for the same reasons, we keep lemon juice rather than fresh lemons. juice takes up less space.

With those disclaimers out of the way and this now becoming a judgement free zone, I give you my homemade hot toddy!

You will need:

• cloves
• cinnamon
• lemon
• hot water
• whiskey
• tea

When making this, I went at it as a really fancy cup of tea and made it accordingly. That means the hot water was the very last ingredient and gets poured on top of everything.

So first, put the kettle on. Then sprinkle in some dashes of clove and cinnamon. You don’t need a lot. Just some.

Follow that with your preferred amount of lemon. I like a bit more. If you just like the lemon that happens when you add a slice of lemon, then you don’t need as much. I think I used about a tablespoon.

Next your whiskey. I’m using scotch just because that’s what I prefer.

Drop in your tea bag. I’m using my favorite English Breakfast tea- Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly (London). It’s quite expensive and, thus, only a treat for me but what a treat it is.

Fill the rest of your mug with hot water and let it steep for however long your tea should steep. I steep my Breakfast teas at 3-4 minutes.

Sarah went a different route with hers and swapped the lemon with lime and the whiskey with spiced rum. I didn’t get a sip but it smelled quite nice. Also came out much darker than my lemon and scotch.

What are your favorite ways to warm up from the cold? Are there any winter cocktails that you just can’t live without? Share in the comments!