Nothing says winter like a warm hot toddy on a chilly grey day. While hot toddy's usually have a spirit, such as bourbon or rum, I decided to go with wine for a lighter version. Imagine a warm, spiced sangria with lemons...I feel cozier already. Seeing as this hot toddy has a lower alcohol content than a regular hot toddy, it can be served as either an apertif before a holiday dinner, or after as a night cap.
The beauty of this drink is that it doesn't require any stove top space to make. It's an amazing space saver for those big holiday dinners, when the oven is blasting and the stove top is loaded! All you need to do is pull out the slow cooker, find a free plug and you are set!
Depending on how many people you are serving, you may need to double (or triple!) the recipe as the quantities listed below served 4, 6 oz portions.
Happy Toddy'ing,
Krista
Slow Cooker Hot Toddy
*inspired by Robert Mondavi Winery
Ingredients
1 - 750 ml bottle of Chardonnary, very lightly oaked
4 tablespoons honey + more to taste (I used local clover honey from the Fraser Valley)
4 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise, whole + more for garnish
3 all-spice berries
1 lemon zested, then cut in half (reserve zest and one of the lemon 1/2's for rimming)
1 tablespoon sugar
Method
Place Chardonnay, honey, cinnamon sticks, star anise, all-spice berries and half of the zested lemon into a slow-cooker. Stir to combine ingredients. Turn slow-cooker to low heat for 30 minutes to steep. After 30 minutes test toddy for level of spice and sweetness. At this point, using a slotted spoon, remove spices and lemon half and let toddy sit on the warm function of slow-cooker until guests arrived. If you prefer a spicier toddy, keep spices in for up to an hour, then remove and keep on warm. If you prefer a sweeter toddy, add more honey according to taste preference.
Before serving, cut remaining half of lemon into thin wheels for garnish and a few wedges. Place the lemon zest and sugar onto a plate. Using lemon wedge, rub flesh around the rim of a stemless white wine glasses (heat safe), then dip rim into sugar and zest mixture. Ladle toddy into rimmed glasses and garnish with lemon wheel, star anise or cinnamon stick.
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