This warm chai hot toddy with bourbon packs in earthy spices for an easy twist on the classic cocktail in only five minutes! Whether you're sipping on it for a cold or a cozy happy hour situation, you will love how comforting and flavorful it is.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my chai spiced old fashioned cocktail, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Quick & Easy - You only need five minutes to craft a hot toddy with chai at home and no fancy bar tools or kitchen equipment. This is a beginner friendly recipe!
Cozy Chai Flavor - I'm chai spice obsessed and this warming drink has a masala chai flavor profile with black tea and notes of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and more.
Soothing - The hot toddy is popular for easing sore throat with honey and warm tea and suppressing coughs with lemon juice. This recipe incorporates the same elements.
I am all about a good hot toddy during cold and cough season, especially flavored one like my hibiscus hot toddy and hot toddy with mint tea. And this apple cider hot toddy is perfect for Fall!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Bourbon Whiskey is my preference for this drink but you can use straight whiskey, scotch or rye, if that's you're preference.
Chai, also called "chai tea" is a traditional Indian spiced tea blend that is personal to every family or person. For the best balance of convenience and high quality, I recommend using my extremely popular instant chai powder mix. Or you can make your hot toddy with chai tea bags from the store.
Orange takes the place of lemon in this hot chai toddy cocktail, adding bright citrus notes that play wonderfully with the warmth of chai spices. If you can, use juice from a fresh orange rather than store-bought OJ!
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Add a splash of milk for creaminess if you want a kind of alcoholic chai latte vibe. I recommend coconut milk or almond milk for the best results flavor. My apple chai and cookie butter chai latte are great non-alcoholic options, too!
Sweetener - Honey is the traditional sweetener for a hot toddy drink but you could use agave nectar or maple syrup if you want to make the recipe vegan.
Check out my ginger honey syrup or turmeric-infused honey for complementary spice notes--they taste fabulous in this recipe!
How to Make a Chai Hot Toddy
Step One: Add bourbon, chai powder, honey, and squeeze of orange juice to hot water and stir to dissolve.
Step Two: Garnish with a strip of orange peel, if desired, for aesthetic.
Pro Tip #1: If you're using a tea bag, allow it to steep in the hot water for about five minutes then remove before adding the remaining ingredients.
Pro Tip #2: Star anise is a common chai ingredient but not used in this recipe so you could float a whole star anise on top of the finished drink as a garnish that adds fragrance and flavor with each sip!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can prepare this recipe up to two days in advance and store in the refrigerator. Gently reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop and stir before serving.
History of the Hot Toddy Drink
I love making fusion recipes but this one is really special because the hot toddy (also sometimes called hot "tottie") as we know it is actually believed to derive from an 18th century fermented Indian beverage known by the Hindi word "taddy". Alcohol came into the mix via Britain making this chai spiced toddy a bit of a full circle moment!
More Favorite Chai Drink Recipes
I hope you'll enjoy this chai tea hot toddy soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this hot tea cocktail recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Chai Hot Toddy with Bourbon
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoon instant chai powder or one chai tea bag
- 1 ½ ounce bourbon whiskey
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¾ cup hot water
- ¼ orange for juice, about 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Add chai powder, bourbon, and honey to mug with hot water then squeeze in orange juice. Stir until all ingredients are dissolved. (See notes for tea bag instructions).
- Peel of a strip of orange rind and add to mug as a garnish (optional).
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