Apple Hot Toddy With Kōloa Rum

The holidays are officially here! While it never gets fully “cold” in Hawaii for warm holiday drinks, Dane and I crank up the air conditioner to make it as chilly as possible inside so we can enjoy some of our favorite holiday cocktails. Dane is a big fan of the hot toddy, particularly around the holidays, so when Kōloa Rum challenged me to create a twist on the cocktail this season, I was all in. The result is a warm, comforting drink that is really easy to pull together. Today I’m sharing all the details on how to make this Apple Hot Toddy with Kōloa Rum at home. Let’s dive in…

Apple Hot Toddy With Koloa Rum

For this recipe, I chose Kōloa Kauai Gold Rum, an 80 proof gold rum distilled two times at 160-180 ABV. Made from the mash of raw sugar cane, this rum tastes pretty sweet to me (with a honey vanilla-like aftertaste), which is why I suggest making your own apple cider a bit further down, but the vanilla flavor works really well in this recipe, so don’t hesitate to test it out for your own holiday cocktails this season.

To make this Apple Hot Toddy at home, you will need:

1 tsp. honey 

2 oz Kōloa Kauai Gold Rum

5 oz apple cider (warmed)

splash lemon juice

garnish with cinnamon stick or sprig of rosemary for festive flair

1. Coat the bottom of your apple tumbler with honey.

2. Pour in the Kōloa Rum.

3. Add in hot apple cider.

4. Stir using your choice of cinnamon stick or rosemary sprig.

5. Enjoy!

Homemade Apple Cider

To note: This recipe is best with homemade apple cider, in which you add an abundance of mulling spices to add a note of spice to the drink as a whole. This way, you’re also able to control the amount of sugar in your cider, which can be the caloric downfall of many apple cider-based cocktails.

Interested in serving this cocktail in apple cups as pictured? Simply slice the top off of the apple and hollow it out using a spoon. It’s surprisingly very easy! If not, this drink is best served in a mug.

 If you love this drink, you are in luck — we are not above mixing up a hot toddy at our house all throughout the year when we are sick since the rum numbs and the honey soothes. Don’t reserve this one just for the last quarter 😉

Whipping this up at home? I’d love to know what you think!

Special thanks to Kōloa Rum for sponsoring this cocktail series and Elle Rose Photography for all imagery.