Hot Toddy/Het Pint

An hour or so before ‘the chappin’ o twal’, the toddy-kettle is filled up with water. It simmers over the fire in the open hearth for several hours. Just before ‘the bells’ it must be livened up into a sustaining hot drink. At the turn of the nineteenth century, every Scot has their own idea about the best toddy recipe to see out the Old and bring in the New, but whisky is becoming a more popular choice.

The ‘rascally Highland gill’, as Burns calls it, is now being distilled, illicitly, in Lowland towns and cities. Soon, the whole country will be claiming it as their national drink. But for the moment, some like to mix it with hot water and sweeten it with a little sugar for a winter warming toddy. Some spice it up with a grated nutmeg, strengthen it with some ale and thicken it with eggs. Then they pour the mixture from one kettle to another to get a good frothy ‘head’ on it.