Even though – or maybe because – I grew up in Syracuse, I’m not a fan of the cold. Which means lots of hot toddies over the winter in a desperate attempt to keep the cold at bay. But there’s something that’s always bothered me about hot toddies: their texture is a bit thin and watery, which in turn can leave the booze tasting too sharp. But I think I’ve found a solution! It’s called gum syrup, or sometimes gomme, a relic from the classic age of cocktails that gives drinks a rich, silky texture. This is the only way I’ll be making my hot toddies from now on, starting with this Maple Bourbon Hot Toddy. – Andrew

Illustration by Shauna Lynn for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Maple Bourbon Hot Toddy

2 oz Bourbon
6 oz Hot Water
1 tsp Maple Syrup
1 tsp Gum Syrup
2 dashes Pecan Bitters

Combine all the ingredients in a heat-proof glass and garnish with a lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Enjoy!

Gum syrup is an ingredient that shows up in just about every cocktail from the late 1800s – it was pretty much guaranteed that a simple syrup in a cocktail was gum syrup. Gum syrup is made with gum acacia, also called gum arabic, a fine white powder made from the sap of the acacia tree. You can order it online or find it in specialty shops; anyone in the DC area can pick some up at Bazaar Spices at Union Market. Here’s a quick and easy way to make a batch:

Combine two ounces of gum acacia and two ounces of water in a plastic container and stir, then cover and let it sit for two days. This will let the water completely dissolve the gum; just don’t get it wet until you’re ready to work with it because it gets sticky fast. Once it’s ready, make a rich simple syrup by gently heating six ounces of water and twelve ounces of super-fine sugar. Fold the gum mixture into the simple syrup until it’s fully incorporated, then remove from the heat, let it cool, and bottle. This will give you 10-12 ounces.

Gum acacia acts as an emulsifier, preventing the sugar from crystalizing and giving the gum syrup a rich silky texture and a big mouthfeel. Because the gum has very little flavor of its own, it adds sweetness and texture but not much else. It’s best in all-spirits drinks like the Manhattan or Sazerac, and perfect for the hot toddy.

So our hot toddy is warm, oaky, sweet, and just a bit spicy – but also with a rich, velvety texture you wouldn’t otherwise find in a drink like this. Easy drinking.

Oh, and those pecan bitters? Easy. Take a bottle of aromatic bitters, like Angostura, and combine it with a cup of chopped, lightly toasted pecans in a glass jar. Let the bitters sit for a few weeks, giving the jar a shake every day. Then strain out the pecans and rebottle. Many bitters have a very high proof, so they’re pretty easy to infuse. Feel free to play around with new combinations.