Food and Drink

How to Make Hot Cocktails That Actually Taste Good

Some like it hot. Some like it warm.

Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist

I feel like hot drinks kind of have a bad rap. For one, they’re pretty limited in their seasonality, ie you can have a Margarita at pretty much any time, but a nice hot cup of anything would be pretty objectionable on, say, the beach under a sweltering sun. What’s more, there isn’t really the same wealth of recipes and riffs that we have for frosty drinks. 
 
Given our relatively limited experience with hot drinks, it can be easy to make mistakes when concocting them for yourselves, so I’m going to walk you through some common pitfalls and how to avoid them.1.     Your drinks are too hot. Recipes usually call for boiling water, which is too hot. Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water, so making your drink scalding hot is a great way to ensure you get a face full of ethanol vapors. To avoid this, bring your water (or other liquid like apple cider) just up when it starts bubbling and then cut the heat before mixing. 

2.     You’re using too much spirit (alcohol). This goes hand in hand with the above point. When a drink is super cold, the presence of alcohol is dialed back, so it’s not that overwhelming to be drinking a daiquiri where almost 50% of the drink is rum, but warm that up and it will taste overly strong and you’re not gonna have a great time. Instead, use roughly half the amount you would for a cold drink. Or, you can skip the full-proof spirits that usually clock in at 40% ABV, and go for lighter stuff like liqueurs or amaro.

3.     Too much citrus. I’ve seen some hot toddy recipes call for as much as a whole ounce of lemon juice. This is an absurd amount. In my experience, the warmer citrus juice is, the more intense its acidity feels. My favorite way to incorporate citrus is via a wedge of lemon. This invites the drinker to squeeze a small amount of juice from the fruit, plus the aromatic oils from the peel get expressed over the drink as well.In summary, all the traditional cocktail rules are broken when you crank the temperature up. And that’s a good thing! Flavors express themselves completely differently at higher temperatures allowing you to rediscover familiar ingredients from a new perspective.

Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist

Really Basic Hot Toddy

Here is a primordial recipe that is so rudimentary it makes riffing super easy. Try it out with a few different base spirits to get a grasp on how temperature transforms each one. 
 
1.5 oz. Rye (or really anything aged like Cognac, Scotch, or rum)
1 tsp sugar (you can use plain, demerara, brown, or cane)
5 oz. water, plus 5 more for warming the glass
Lemon wedge (you can push cloves into the skin of the wedge if you feel like it)
 
In a medium saucepan, bring water to just the point where it starts boiling and then remove from heat. Pour 5 oz. of hot water into your mug and let it sit for 30 seconds. Discard water from the mug and add sugar and whiskey. Stir briefly to combine. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist

Freaky Friday

Bitterness hits different at higher temperatures, and usually that’s not a great thing. When incorporating bitter ingredients, it’s vital to include ingredients that balance that out. You might think that sugar balances out bitter, but salt is way more effective. Don’t be shy with the pinch, you have a long way to go before the drink will be noticeably salty. 
 
2 oz. Campari
1 oz. Grade B Maple Syrup
6 oz. water plus more to warm the glass
Pinch of sea salt
 
In a medium saucepan, bring water to just the point where it starts boiling and then remove from heat. Pour 5 oz. of hot water into your mug and let it sit for 30 seconds. Discard water from the mug and add maple syrup and Campari and hot water. Stir to combine and garnish with an orange wheel.

Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist

Ludlow & No

Spicy, herbal, and earthy flavors come alive when warmed. If you’re avoiding alcohol, try this extremely easy but satisfyingly complex riff on mulled cider. Proteau Ludlow Red, which I produce, is a zero-proof blend of black pepper, licorice, roasted dandelion root, rose, chamomile, blackberries, and fig vinegar.
 
4.5 oz. apple cider
5 oz. Proteau Ludlow Red
 
In a small saucepan, bring a cup of water to boil and pour water in a mug. In a separate saucepan, apple cider until just beginning to boil and remove from heat. Discard hot water from mug and pour hot cider into it. Add Ludlow Red and garnish with grated nutmeg.Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.

John deBary is a cocktail and bar expert with over a decade of experience working in award-winning New York City bars and restaurants. He is also the co-founder and president of the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of hospitality industry professionals through advocacy, grantmaking, and impact investing. John is also the creator of Proteau, a line of non-alcoholic drinks.

Food and Drink

Red Rooster Is Serving Free Chicken and Piping Hot Cash This Christmas in July

Get your early dose of festive cheer.

Red Rooster Christmas in July
Instagram / @redrooster_au

The cold weather in most parts of Australia coinciding with EOFY celebrations is the closest thing that we’ll get to snowy Christmas vibes. And if you’re in dire need of some festive cheer after the first six months of 2023, grab your ugly sweater and head to your nearest Red Rooster for Xmas in July deals.

From June 29 – July 31, 2023, Red Rooster is serving up free food items, a chance to win $10,000 or one of 10 merch packs valued at $400 and other fun prizes. All you have to do is sign up as a Red Royalty member and spend $5 on at a location near you or online.

Each week there’ll be new delicious deals and prizes to win. The week one deals have already dropped and they’re looking pretty tasty. You can get access to them via your Red Royalty account. The more you purchase, the more chances you have to win.

Spoiler alert: you can get 10 chicken nuggets for free, right now. Brb running to Red Rooster.

Terms and conditions apply. Visit Red Rooster’s Christmas in July to see all the deals.

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