- Hot toddy
:"For the beverage made from the sap of various species of palm tree, see
palm wine .":"For the song "Hot Toddy" (music byRalph Flanagan , words byHerb Hendler ) see those entries."Hot toddy is a name given to a mixed drink that is served hot, believed to have originated in the 18th century to make the taste of scotch more palatable.Fact|date=September 2008 Although there are many variations, essential ingredients are:
*a hot
beverage which may betea ,coffee ,cocoa ,water , etc.
*an alcoholic spirit such asbrandy ,rum , orwhiskey .
*usually asweetener , such ashoney ,sugar orsyrup .Other ingredients that are often added:
*spice s, usually "brown" spices such ascinnamon orcloves .
*citrus , such aslemon or orange.Lemonade can be used instead of hot water and citrus; this is a modern variant.
*a littlebutter .Hot toddies (such as
mulled cider ) are traditionally drunk before going to bed, or in wet and cold weather. They were believed to help cure the cold andflu , but theAmerican Lung Association now recommends avoiding treating thecommon cold withalcoholic beverage s as they have no curative effect and causedehydration . [cite web
title = A Survival Guide for Preventing and Treating Influenza and the Common Cold
publisher =American Lung Association
date =August 2005
url = http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35873#done
accessdate = 2007-06-11]Popular etymology
It has been suggested that the name comes from the "toddy" drink in
India , produced by fermenting thesap ofpalm tree s. The term could have been introduced intoScotland by a member of theBritish East India Company Fact|date=December 2007.An alternative explanation is given in Allan Ramsay's 1721 poem "The Morning Interview", which describes a tea party in which it is said that
:"All the rich requisites are brought from far: the table from
Japan , thetea fromChina , the sugar fromAmazonia , or theWest Indies , but that::'Scotia does no such costly tribute bring,::Only some kettles full of Todian spring.'"To this passage, Ramsay has appended the note:
:"The Todian spring, i.e. "Tod's Well", which supplies
Edinburgh with water."Tod's Well and St Anthony's Well, on the side of Arthur's Seat were two of the wells which very scantily supplied the wants of Edinburgh, and when it is borne in mind that whisky derives its name from water (the
Scottish Gaelic term "uisge"), it seems more likely that "Toddy" in like manner was a facetious name for the pure element. The lateRobert Chambers , when Charles MacKay propounded thisetymology to him, at first rejected the idea, but afterwards adopted it on the strength of Allan Ramsay's poem.ee also
*
Tamagozake , the traditional Japanese cold cure, using heatedsake .References
*MacKay, Charles. "A Dictionary of Lowland Scotch" (1888)
External links
*Gutenberg|no=9927|name=The Bronze Bell
* [http://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/hottoddy.htm Non-Alcoholic Scottish Hot Toddy Recipe]
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