I was talking with a friend today about how I wished the weather would turn cold so I could make Hot Toddies. A soothing cold-weather classic of hot tea, whiskey, lemon, and honey, it’s one of my all-time favorites and is my go to when I feel under the weather or have a cold. Well, it’s still 89 °F so I’ll have to wait a while for the hot toddies. However, I Googled the ingredients of the hot toddy trying to find a warm-weather version and found something pretty interesting, the Gold Rush cocktail. The answer to my hot toddy cravings.
I had actually made a similar cocktail last week, but I didn’t know it was a thing or what its name was. I wanted to get the herbal qualities of the hot black English Breakfast tea I use in hot toddy’s but without the heat from the tea. I had picked some lavender from my garden and made a small batch of honey and lavender simple syrup for our cocktails. I mixed the lavender honey simple syrup with whiskey, lemon, and elderflower liqueur, shook the concoction over ice and served it in an Old-Fashioned glass on the rocks, and thus was born my Lavender Elderflower Gold Rush cocktail recipe.
Although ice cold, it exuded the warmth of the hot toddy through the strength of the whiskey, the lavender and elderflower were unlike English Breakfast tea, but still gave you the fragrance and aroma to put you in that vibe. Finish it off with the lemon and honey, and well you guessed it, mother’s home remedies never tasted so good.
Here are three recipes, Lavender Honey Simple Syrup recipe, the original Gold Rush cocktail recipe and my version of a warm weather toddy, the Lavender Elderflower Gold Rush cocktail recipe. Cheers!
Lavender Honey Simple Syrup recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
- ¼ Cup Fresh Lavender Leaves or 2 Tablespoons Dried Lavender Flowers
- 2 Ounces Honey
- 2 Ounce Water
PROCESS:
-Combine honey and water in a small bowl, microwave for about 30 seconds or until boiling
-Add the lavender to the hot honey mixture and muddle, let steep until cool
-Strain
Gold Rush cocktail recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 ½ Ounces Whiskey
- 1 Ounce Lemon Juice
- 1 Ounce Honey Simple Syrup (50/50 Honey, Water)
PROCESS:
-Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice, shake until ice cold, about 40-50 shakes
-Serve on the rocks in an Old-Fashioned glass
Lavender Elderflower Gold Rush recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ¾ Ounces Whiskey
- 1 Ounce St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 1 Ounce Lemon Juice
- 1 Ounce Lavender Honey Simple Syrup
PROCESS:
-Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice, shake until ice cold, about 40-50 shakes
-Serve on the rocks in an Old-Fashioned glass
