Warm Juniper Toddy
A warm juniper toddy built with gin, juniper-honey syrup, fresh lemon and hot water, garnished with whole juniper berries.
Ingredients
- 50 ml gin
- 20 ml juniper-honey syrup
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- 120 ml hot water
- 5 juniper berries, lightly crushed
Method
- To make the syrup, warm 100 ml runny honey with 100 ml water and 1 tablespoon of lightly crushed juniper berries over a low heat for 5 minutes, leave to infuse for 20 minutes and strain.
- Add 20 ml of the juniper-honey syrup to a heatproof glass.
- Pour in the hot water and stir until smooth.
- Add the gin and fresh lemon juice.
- Drop the crushed juniper berries on top to garnish and serve.
How to serve
- Glassware
- Heatproof glass or mug
- Serve temperature
- Hot
- Garnish
- Crushed juniper berries
Doubling Down on Juniper
Warm juniper toddy takes one of gin’s most defining ingredients and uses it twice. First in the spirit, then again in a slow-infused honey syrup that brings out the pine, citrus peel and gentle peppery notes locked inside the berries. The result is a hot toddy that tastes unmistakably like gin, but deeper and rounder, as if someone had turned up the volume on its own backbone.
Making the juniper-honey syrup is straightforward and worth the few extra minutes. A light crushing of the berries before they go into warm honey and water releases the oils without making the syrup bitter. A short rest off the heat finishes the infusion, and the strained syrup keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks, ready for repeat performances. It also works beautifully stirred into a cold gin and tonic when the season eventually turns.
A Glass for Cold Nights
Once the syrup is ready, the build is the same as any good toddy. Syrup and hot water first, then the gin and lemon, then the garnish. Letting the drink sit for a minute before the first sip gives the juniper berries on top a moment to release their aroma into the steam rising from the glass. It is a small thing, but it sets the tone for everything that follows.
For a slightly sweeter and more orchard-leaning variation, pour Hot Apple Gin in place of standard gin and reduce the syrup to 10 ml. The apple character pairs surprisingly well with juniper, and the existing spice in the bottle does some of the work for you, leaving a drink that feels both familiar and a little more layered than a classic toddy.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find juniper berries?
Dried juniper berries are stocked by most well-stocked supermarkets and spice shops, usually near the whole spices and peppercorns.
Why crush the juniper berries?
Crushing them lightly cracks the skin and lets the volatile oils escape, which is what gives the syrup and the garnish their aromatic edge.
How strong is the juniper flavour?
It is deliberately concentrated but not aggressive. The honey softens it and the lemon keeps it lifted, so the gin's own juniper feels amplified rather than masked.
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