Drinking a hot toddy from hot water, lemon juice, honey, whiskey or rum, or brandy is believed to soothe sore throats and clear congestion caused by winter colds.
In an interview with USA TODAY, Sarah Belizaire-Butler, 39, explained that she tried the remedy because of her Irish grandfather. She said, “I remember him teaching me how to make one when my mum had a cold, and it seemed to work for her. A hot toddy helps my husband feel better when he’s sick, and I make one whenever he’s not feeling well.”
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Mateusz Gzik
It’s not clear if it’s the whiskey or the honey or simply that a warm drink feels good from the inside out, but Belizaire-Butler said it “always works.” Her grandfather believed whiskey could heal more than colds, she said, adding that he dabbed it on her gums when she was teething.
Is the drink effective in treating symptoms of a common cold? Cocktail and medical experts agree that the answer is yes – to some extent.
Despite doubting that a doctor would prescribe a hot toddy as a “cure-all,” Bacardi single malt ambassador Gabe Urrutia told USA TODAY that hot toddy ingredients could help you feel better.
Urrutia said, “The honey for a sore throat soothes the ache, and the lemon gives you a good dose of vitamin C. I know some of the stories I’ve heard of grandpa’s old cough medicine sometimes included honey and lemon.”
Image Credit: Shutterstock/viennetta
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Ginger Hultin, who owns ChampagneNutrition, agrees that “heat and hydration” are soothing. A cold might also benefit from honey’s antimicrobial properties, but Hultin cautions that alcohol can irritate throat tissues. Alcohol can also dehydrate you and depress your immune system.
Ascher said, “When our body fights illness, drinking alcohol adds another variable. When we are ill, we prefer to remove the toxins already in our bodies rather than add more unnecessary toxins.”