Name: Cold Toddy (Rye Whiskey Iced Tea With Citrus and Spices)
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 medium orange; 5–6 medium lemons; 4 (3") cinnamon sticks; 1 (4") piece ginger, peeled, smashed, plus more thinly sliced for serving; 4 Earl Grey tea bags; 1 tsp. whole cloves; 2/3 cup honey; 2 cups rye whiskey; 1 tsp. orange or aromatic bitters; Orange twists (for serving)

Pitcher of cold toddy a citrusy gingery whiskey cocktail for summer.

Photo by Paul H. Christian, Food Styling by Michele Figliuolo

You know how at parties you can get a little, uh, hot under the collar? That’s where we got the idea to take down the temperature of a classic hot toddy for a more refreshing approach to the seasonal mix of tea, citrus, spices, and rye whiskey.

Recipe information

Yield
8 servings

Ingredients

1 medium orange

5–6 medium lemons

4 (3") cinnamon sticks

1 (4") piece ginger, peeled, smashed, plus more thinly sliced for serving

4 Earl Grey tea bags

1 tsp. whole cloves

2/3 cup honey

2 cups rye whiskey

1 tsp. orange or aromatic bitters

Orange twists (for serving)

Preparation

Step 1
Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from orange and 1 lemon in wide strips, leaving white pith behind; slice fruit in half. Squeeze juice from orange into a small bowl (you should have about 1/4 cup). Squeeze juice from lemon into a measuring glass. Slice remaining lemons in half and squeeze juice into glass to measure 1 cup total; save any remaining lemon halves for another use. Set orange and lemon juice aside.
Step 2
Place zest in a small saucepan. Whack cinnamon sticks with the side of a chef’s knife to break up a little and add to saucepan along with smashed ginger, tea bags, cloves, and 1 3/4 cups water. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat; let sit 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, then stir in honey; let cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Step 3
Strain tea mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher and add rye, bitters, and reserved orange juice and lemon juice. Add 2 cups ice and stir until ice is melted and toddy is very cold.
Step 4
To serve, pour toddy into tumblers filled with ice and garnish with ginger slices and orange twists.
Do Ahead
Step 5
Tea mixture can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Toddy can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill.