What is a Hot Toddy?
What is a Hot Toddy?

By: Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD



The Hot Toddy has been around for a long time, primarily used to help people recover from illnesses like colds and flu. While the traditional Hot Toddy is an alcohol-containing beverage, we’ve created an immune-supporting nonalcoholic version that aligns with the alcohol-free trends of today. Read on to discover the history of the Hot Toddy, why we’ve adapted it, and our Hot Toddy Mocktail recipe. 

History of the Hot Toddy


A typical Hot Toddy is a warm drink made with whiskey, tea, honey, and lemon. Its origin is understood to date back to at least the 1600s. 


As for where the name “Hot Toddy” came from, this appears to be one of the biggest mysteries around the longstanding drink. One thought is that it was invented during a time when India and Great Britain had a trading relationship, and so it was named for the Hindi word “toddy”, which is an Indian drink made using fermented palm tree sap. 


Another theory is that it was named after a place called Todian Spring, once the main water supply to Edinburgh, Scotland. A poet named Allan Ramsay wrote a piece titled “The Morning Interview” that mentions Todian Spring water being used for a tea party in 1781.


Around this same time, it was formally defined as a beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices. During this time, the toddy was even used medicinally for adults and children. This use was popularized by Robert Bently Todd, an Irish doctor, who would prescribe a mixture of hot brandy, cinnamon, and sugar water for patients when they had a common cold. Perhaps Dr. Todd’s name is a third possible explanation for the origin of the drink's name.

Benefits of Resilience Chaga


Despite its somewhat enigmatic evolution, the main point of drinking a Hot Toddy throughout history has been to provide relief during bouts of the common cold. Not only was it intended to help warm the belly and calm cold symptoms, but to support immunity from the inside out. 


That’s why we’ve removed the alcohol from a basic Hot Toddy recipe and replaced a standard black tea with Good Pharma Resilience™, made with Green Tea and Chaga Mushroom — to boost the immune-supportive benefits it has to offer in times of illness. 


Chagas (Inonotus obliquus), though often presumed to be functional mushrooms, are hard sterile conks that grow on birch trees as a canker disease. Regardless, they have been studied for their many health benefits. 


The bioactive compounds in Chagas — mainly inotodiol, trametenolic acid, and betulinic acid — offer antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, which may help support natural immunity and normal inflammatory response. Chaga mushrooms are also known to help with feelings of tiredness while supporting energy and focus.


The other main component of Resilience™ is Bancha Green Tea, one of the most popular types of Green Tea in Japan. Green Tea has a long history of use for its antioxidant content to support everyday wellness.


We’ve brought these ingredients together to create a deliciously warming modern mocktail version of the Hot Toddy below. 

Good Pharma Resilience™ Hot Toddy Mocktail

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ½ cups hot Good Pharma Resilience™ tea
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon or cinnamon stick
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 lemon wedge

DIRECTIONS

  • Pour the honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg into a large mug.
  • Pour in the hot Resilience tea and gently stir, dissolving the honey and blending in the spices.
  • Add the lemon wedge and enjoy while warm.