Thanksgiving Apple Cider Hot Toddies & Mocktails

So, when my husband first went to Ireland with me, he was introduced to hot toddies… or, more accurately, hot Jamey’s! We were in Ireland; there was no other option than Jameson for hot toddies, so they were called hot Jamey’s. The drink consisted of Jameson, topped with hot water, and a slice of lemon speckled with cloves. He loved them. And on the chilly fall days we were there, they were the perfect drink to warm him up!

He made them quite a bit over that winter when we came back home. But then he started faltering off and hasn’t made them in years. But, I’ve been thinking about them lately and something was telling me to reinvent it with apple cider. Now, it’s easy to heat up apple cider and pour it over your favorite liquor, but I always find that the sweetness of the cider leaves a nappy feeling in my mouth. I can’t have more than one drink before wanting to brush my teeth!

So, I came up with this recipe, which is perfect for Thanksgiving. And you can’t have Thanksgiving without cocktails! Or mocktails… whatever’s your thing! Cocktails for adults, mocktails for the kids?

So, super easy recipe to make, and soooo delicious. I took apple cider and boiled it with honey and cinnamon sticks until it was reduced to half a cup, which made it a potent syrup. The hot toddies consist of all the same stuff I mentioned: a whiskey of your choice (this time I made them with Bulleit), one shot of the reduced apple cider, hot water, and a slice of lemon speckled with cloves. I have you tell you, I don’t like the smell of whisky and cannot drink it anymore after a bad night with it when I was younger 🤪. BUT, I couldn’t taste the whiskey in this. You get the heat of the whiskey without the burn. But the flavors all fuse together into this beautifully flavored cocktail.

For the mocktails, I made them cold. So, I took a small glass that I filled with ice. I added one shot of the reduced apple cider and then topped it off with sparkling cider, again adding a slice of clove speckled lemon. This drink is soooo yummy. And hey, if you want to make a cold cocktail, buy some Prosecco and swap out the sparkling cider for Prosecco!

Neither the cocktail nor the mocktail left me with a nappy mouth. They were so flavorful without being cloying. Whether you make the cocktail or the mocktail, the drinks compliment your turkey dinner. The recipe makes about four drinks ~ the perfect size for a Pandemic quaran-team Thanksgiving dinner 😉.

Enjoy!