Apple Toddy
Jerry Thomas's warmer
Jerry Thomas's 1862 winter warmer, adapted for BN with apple cider in place of the whole baked apple the original recipe called for. Brandy, cider, a whisper of sugar, a splash of hot water, thick-grated nutmeg. Uncomplicated and honest — a drink the 19th century would still recognize.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Brandy
- 4 oz Apple Cider
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 oz Water
Method
In a warm mug, dissolve sugar in a splash of boiling water. Add brandy. Pour in warm apple cider until the mug is nearly full. Stir once. Grate fresh nutmeg generously on top.
Documented in Jerry Thomas's Bar-Tender's Guide (1862), the Apple Toddy combines apple brandy, sugar, and baked apple with boiling water and nutmeg. Per Chanticleer Society and Al's Cocktail Club. BN adapts the original by using apple cider in place of the whole baked apple, preserving the apple-forward character with standardized bar ingredients. Notes: Historically American (early Republic).