Finding the best whiskeys for hot toddies could be difficult, but it could be delightful. On our end, we particularly like Bulleit.

If you prefer, you can make your hot toddy with dark rum or brandy. You’ll find more ways to change up the drink in my recipe notes. Honey:Studies have found honey to contain an antimicrobial peptidecalled bee defensin-1. The World Health Organization recommends honey to treat coughs and sore throats. Some folks love Valentine's Day, spending the day with your special someone, fully embracing the hearts and flowers of it all. Others take great pride in declaring it a commercial greeting card holiday, and rebelling against the societal pressures set upon them. But no matter how you look at the day, it has one benefit for all: it's an excuse to make really good desserts. These 10 Valentine's Day dessert recipes range from entry-level to expert offering sugary bliss to cooks and bakers of any level. They also vary in prep and cook time, so no matter how busy you are you'll be able to whip one of these up no problem.

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Pro Tip No. 1:You can substitute if you don't have fresh ingredients, but fresher ingredients always result in something a little extra special. A friend gave me the idea to use V8 juice in vegetable soup because it provides more flavor. My best vegetable soup recipe is perfect to prepare on a crisp autumn afternoon. —Janice Steinmetz, Somers, Connecticut In case you haven't noticed it's winter (that may sound like sarcasm but if you're Scottish the seasons tend to blend together) and what with the terrible weather, the constant threat of catching a cold and the long, dark nights, we could all use a little dose of comfort. Here we provide an easy - and delicious - recipe to make a classic Scottish hot toddy (with a slight flourish) for you to try out in the comfort of your own home. Ingredients:

Don’t they look so warming! We’re so excited for you to experiment for yourselves. Let us know in the comments how you makeyour besthot toddy. Slater, Nigel (12 March 2011). "Nigel Slater's classic hot toddy recipe". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 December 2012. Hot toddies are reported to help reduce cold symptoms, although you really don’t want to overdo it on the whiskey. Your body needs to heal, and the simple combination of warm water, honey and lemon combined can work wonders. Hot toddies aren’t the only drinks we treat this way: honey and lemon (sans the other ingredients), tea and even at one time Dr. Pepper (yes, people used to drink it hot) are all classic winter comforts. There are probably local producers too — ask a bartender what they have behind the bar. My last suggestion for playing with your own hot toddyis to call on a spice or two. Think cinnamon, clove or allspice.

of blended Scotch whisky (we prefer using a non-peated premium blend but peated whisky works just as well and gives the drink an entirely different taste, so it can be fun to try) Then I added 3-4 teaspoons of honey, 200 ml (7oz) of whisky (alternatively, brandy, rum or even vodka) and the lemon juice to the mug. Finally I topped up the mug with the strained simmering concoction. If it was not hot enough, I put the mug into the microwave for 30 seconds. The hot toddy with tea is simply an excellent natural remedy for easing cold symptoms. It's not a cure, but if I'm going to relieve cold symptoms, a hot toddy tea does this quite nicely.

So, the question becomes whether alcohol should be included in a hot toddy recipe for a cold. You can go either way on the boozeTo give the elixir a spicier edge, feel free to play around with ingredients. One star anise, a few whole cloves, or a slice of fresh ginger would be wonderful in a hot toddy. And, as with many recipes, maple syrup can be used in place of honey. When you’re nursing a cold or flu, sweet flavors can be comforting. To sweeten your hot toddy, add a natural liquid sweetener, which blends more easily than granulated sugar. We like honey the best because it helps to coat your throat a bit, which can be soothing for a nasty cough. It also has a few health benefits! Find sources: "Hot toddy"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( November 2009) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Though we aren't exactly sure where the name came from drinks expert Ross Dennis at Dewar's Aberfeldy Distillery believes that the hot toddy's name comes from a special well, he said: "The first mention of what we now think of as a hot toddy comes about in the 1780s. We think the name hot toddy comes from the Todian Well . an ancient water source in Edinburgh.