Picture this. You spend all evening cooking your great grandmother’s grits for the OU-Texas watch party you will be attending in the morning, even going to bed early because the game starts at 9am, only to be woken up at 3am by your little one who is literally drowning in snot, and come to think of it, your head kind of hurts and your throat is feeling a little off, so you cancel your party plans, which makes you really sad because today, TODAY is the first day in Southern California that feels like fall and you were planning to wear your favorite jeans and a new sweater you bought at J. Crew’s final sale, but it doesn’t matter now since you will be covered in crusty boogers and snot for the rest of the weekend, but a thought occurs to you, well, more like a light at the end of tunnel, and you realize that a huge cheeseburger, fries and Oreo shake from Ruby’s is pretty much the ONLY thing that will make this day better, but when you tell your husband your brilliant plan, he says, “This country is headed into a depression. We can’t eat Ruby’s”, and you die a little on the inside because you have been diligently doing the 30 Day Shred for about a month now and by god, you deserve a damn cheeseburger, but suddenly your husband is the male version of Suze Orman.
(big breath)
So, you tell your husband that In-N-Out is pretty much the “poor man’s Ruby’s” and that eating their fine fare would hopefully not upset the delicate balance of our teetering country, and he agrees that yes, that would be fine, but then you realize that it’s only 3pm and your son won’t nap because he can’t breathe, so you hand him a huge lollipop and a Thomas the Train thing, plop him on the couch and try to figure out what in the hell you are going to do until dinner when you receive a Flickr comment from the lovely JenB that says you should definitely drink a hot toddy and you think, YES YES, that is the SALVATION I NEED, only to quickly realize that you don’t know what a hot toddy IS, although you have plenty of alcohol in your house, and then your second Oprah A-Ha™ moment of the day arrives and you think, “I’ll ask the internet! They will give me a hot toddy recipe!”, only to realize that it’s Saturday and no one reads blogs on Saturday, but maybe, JUST MAYBE, someone out there will hear your pained cry for help.
Will you answer my prayers and tell me your favorite hot toddy recipe? PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD?
Annika
October 11, 2008 at 3:39 pmOh honey, there’s no recipe. You just put some whiskey in a glass, squeeze in a lemon, add a huge spoonful of honey, and pour hot water over.
katharine
October 11, 2008 at 3:53 pmBourbon, OJ, honey and some ginger. I have been drinking it since I was about five. It will cure anything!!
Amy
October 11, 2008 at 3:59 pmOr rum. Or brandy. Depending on mood or preference. Feel better. Darn, a hamburger sounds good…
LVGurl
October 11, 2008 at 3:59 pmI haven’t heard the phrase “Hot Toddy” since 1985.
I think it included coffee, Bailey’s, Kahlua, and the like…
LVGurl
October 11, 2008 at 4:01 pmOh… maybe I’m thinking of a “Coffee Nudge.” Another phrase I haven’t heard since 1985.
eileen
October 11, 2008 at 4:13 pmMmmm..I haven’t yet broken out the hot toddy yet this fall, but the time is near (and with that, the time for mulled wine).
Hot water, honey, I prefer whiskey, a thick slice of lemon, a couple cloves. A stick of cinnamon if you’ve got it to thoroughly mix in the honey.
Courtney
October 11, 2008 at 4:21 pmI’m sorry, I have no idea what a hot toddy is, but damn does a big ol’ cheeseburger, fries & milkshake sound divine.
Ariel
October 11, 2008 at 4:23 pmMy preference is Hot Buttered Rum :)
MMMMM
Ingredients
* 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups light brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
* Pinch ground cloves
* Pinch salt
* Bottle dark rum
* Boiling water
Directions
In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Refrigerate until almost firm. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture into 12 small mugs. Pour about 3 ounces of rum into each mug (filling about halfway). Top with boiling water (to fill the remaining half), stir well, and serve immediately.
*ps, I never wait until the butter is firm. And I never share :)
Angella
October 11, 2008 at 5:00 pmCoffee + Bailey’s
or
Coffee + Kahlua
Or Hot chocolate + all of the above.
Basically a hot drink with liquor. Not that I know anything about hot toddies.
(Don’t tell Jillian.)
Angella
October 11, 2008 at 5:03 pmPS – Tell D that you will be *helping* the economy by spending. Just sayin’…
Annie
October 11, 2008 at 5:05 pmAnnika is right… but you can use tea (something lemon-y or green) instead of water if you’d like and lots of honey and lemon
Twenty Four At Heart
October 11, 2008 at 5:33 pmI can so relate to this post. It is our first day with (finally) cooler weather and I didn’t get to enjoy it either. I also was thinking a drink might be in order. I don’t like whiskey, etc. so I was thinking maybe a Bailey’s and coffee would hit the spot. You can never go wrong with one of those and it’s easy to down more than one if you want to drown your sorrows!
Stephanie
October 11, 2008 at 5:48 pmWarm up 1 1/2 oz of whiskey, 1/3 oz of lemon juice, and 1 oz of honey in a tea cup. Fill the cup the rest of the way up with a nice black tea. My favorite recipe. Works every time.
michlinn
October 11, 2008 at 5:54 pmoooh In-N-Out…my first stop whenever I go home for a visit. Please, please have a double double with grilled onions, fries and a strawberry shake for me.
Liz
October 11, 2008 at 7:26 pmOooh, it IS hot toddy season! I agree with everyone else – whiskey (I go with bourbon), lemon, honey and hot water. Sometimes a bit of vanilla sugar, sometimes cinnamon, it depends on my mood. And I’m liking the suggestions for tea as well, I’ll have to try it.
Hope the In-n-Out hit the spot. But, I mean, duh…