Vernon WadeThere are lots of cooks out there who actually know what they are doing. I pretty much taught myself to cook, out of necessity. I haven’t a clue most of the time, but I do love to eat. 

I have made everything posted here. If I can do it, you certainly can. Someday, if there is enough interest, I will gather all these recipes into a cookbook. In the meantime, in the spirit of dashes, dollops and three-fingered pinches, I present them here for you to try. Let me know what you think.

The hot toddy has long been a favorite cold weather libation around my house.  Easy, steaming hot, packed with vitamin C, sweet, sour, and alcoholic, its just gotta be good for you! Substitute liquors, try different sweeteners, use any citrus you feel like using; it  is hard to make a bad toddy. Here are a few variations I like:

Rum Toddy

  • ½ orange
  • ½ lemon (a lime would work just as well)
  • one dollop molasses
  • scalding water
  • A generous splash, more or less, of dark rum. I prefer Gosling’s Black Seal 151, but any dark rum will do. Add a splash of brandy, if you’ve a mind to.

Divide half a lemon and half an orange into two wedges each. Squeeze the juice of ¼ lemon and ¼ orange into a mug. Drop remaining wedges into the mug and drizzle a dollop of molasses on top of them. Fill mug part way with scalding water, leaving room for your rum. Stir until molasses is dissolved. Add a splash of rum, stir and serve.

Whiskey Toddy

  • ½ lemon
  • one dollop honey
  • scalding water
  • A generous splash, more or less, of bourbon. -I prefer Bulleit or Makers Mark, but any bourbon or even rye will do.

Divide half a lemon into two wedges. Squeeze the juice of a lemon wedge into a mug. Drop remaining wedge into the mug and drizzle a dollop of honey on top of it. Fill mug part way with scalding water, leaving room for your whiskey. Stir until honey is dissolved. Add a splash of whiskey, stir and serve.

Gin Toddy

  • ½ orange
  • ½ lemon
  • one dollop honey
  • scalding water
  • cloves
  • fresh grated nutmeg
  • A generous splash, more or less, of gin. – Don’t skimp on quality, you will be able to taste the difference with this drink. The heat brings out the botanicals, so pick a quality gin that has some complexity.

Divide half a lemon and half an orange into two wedges each. Squeeze the juice of ¼ lemon and ¼ orange into a mug. Drive a few cloves into the remaining wedges (push them into the peel so they won’t fall out and become a choking hazard – don’t ask me how I know this). Drop the wedges into the mug and add scalding water,leaving room for your gin. Stir until honey is dissolved. Add a splash of gin, stir and grate a little nutmeg on top before serving.

            If you use a blue gin, such as Magellan, it will turn bright green when mixed with the lemon juice which is amusing, particularly after a couple of drinks.