Holiday Cocktail Remix: The Chai Hot Toddy Recipe

Don’t get us wrong we love eggnog (and eggnog pudding!), but the classic chai tea gets a grown-up makeover by adding spiced rum and cinnamon infused milk for a warm, subtly spicy winter drink you won’t want to put down. If espresso is your thing, you can make it “dirty” by adding a shot of espresso right before serving. How’s that for hotty toddy party sipping?

Ingredients (makes 5-6 servings)

– 6 cups of water

– 8 chai tea bags (make your own or use a high quality brand of black tea and spices

– 1/2 cup sugar

– 2 cup whole milk

– 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a bit more for sprinkling on top

– 6-8 ounces spiced rum (more or less according to your taste)

The ingredients for this are so simple, you probably have most of them.

First, bring the water to boil. Add tea bags and steep for at least 10 minutes covered. This makes for a nice strong tea base.

Meanwhile, heat milk and sugar to a boil, stirring so the milk won’t scald. Take off of the heat and add cinnamon and vanilla, stir well. Remove the tea bags and pour steaming milk mixture into the tea.

Add the spiced rum and stir.

Ladle into mugs and serve immediately with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top or cinnamon sticks. We also added a bit of the milk foam leftover in the pan to the top of the drink. If you will be continuously serving throughout the evening, pour into a slow cooker and turn the heat on low.

And there you have it, the Chai Hot Toddy.

What are your favorite hot drinks for the holidays? Let us know in the comments below.

Jessica Ellingsworth, a maven for all things baking, makeup artistry, and mothering her 3 children, lives in Austin, TX. A graduate of the University of Missouri Journalism School, she is a freelance writer, aspiring food stylist, and blogs about her inspirations at Mayvn.com.