Stay warm with this delicious Caramel Apple Hot Toddy! A classic drink with a twist! A homemade caramel apple sauce topped with an apple hot toddy and some booze will keep you warm all winter long!

Jump to:
- The inspiration for this recipe
- Caramel Apple Hot Toddy
- Ingredients
- How to make the caramel apple sauce:
- How to make this caramel apple hot toddy:
- Other uses for the sauce:
- Commonly asked questions:
- OTHER WARMING DRINKS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
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The inspiration for this recipe
A very good friend of mine loves making a drink when we meet up. His cocktail creations are absolutely amazing and always make you want more. As a thank you for all the great drinks he made for his flat mates and me over the past year I wanted to create a drink for him that he will love for the winter season. Something that will keep him warm and has his favorite flavors in it.
One thing you should know about him is that he LOVES salted caramel sauce. He will literally spoon it out of the jar and gets excited like a little kid when I make him fresh salted caramel sauce. When not spooning it out of a jar he will definitely be drizzling it over every meal that tastes good with it or simply add a spoon full to his morning coffee. So obviously my warming cocktail had to include something with caramel!
There are so many hot drinks you can sip on during winter. You can make tea, holiday inspired lattes, hot chocolate or glühwein. However, there is one classic drink that stood out for me when trying to create the perfect drink for my friend: the good old hot toddy! Simple to make, boozy and like a big hug from the inside. A basic hot toddy is not up to his cocktail standards tough! He deserves better so I give you a hot toddy with a twist:
Caramel Apple Hot Toddy
This hot toddy recipe is based on a homemade caramel apple sauce. You start out by making an apple simple syrup and then use the same technique as when you make salted caramel sauce by adding butter and cream. It is the perfect mix between simple syrup and caramel sauce! This sauce is finger liking good and approved by my friend.
Ingredients
Before you can make this boozy drink, you will have to make the sauce:
The ingredients for the sauce are:
- Apple Cider: You can use apple cider or apple juice. Both works and tastes amazing.
- White & Brown Sugar:
- Vanilla Extract: Alternatively, you can use vanilla paste or vanilla powder. You could also replace the white sugar with vanilla sugar 1:1.
- Butter: The
- Cream: Heavy whipping cream
- Salt: The salt will balance out the sweetness of the sauce
How to make the caramel apple sauce:
This recipe will fill 2 small mason jars (add amount).
The exact ingredients needed are:
(Be aware that the US customary measurements are only an approximate number. I can only guarantee the success of this recipe with the exact measurements using the metric system.)
Metric System:
- 5dl Apple cider (or juice)
- 200g sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon butter
- 2,5dl whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
US customary:
- 2 cups + 1½ tablespoon Apple cider (or juice)
- 200g sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon butter
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
Here is how it is done:
To e medium sized saucepan add the apple cider, the white and the brown sugar.
Turn the stove onto medium heat and let it cook till the sugar is dissolved. Make sure to stir the mixture.
Bring the syrup to a boil and let it thicken for a bit.
The next step can get a bit tricky. If you have ever made salted caramel sauce before you know that it can splatter a lot when adding the butter and cream. If you are not used to it I recommend wearing oven mittens just in case.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter. Immidiately start mixing to incirperate the butter.
Next add the cream and whisk till nicely incorperated.
Get the pot back on the stove and let it cook on medium heat for a few minutes till it thickens. You will want it to have the same consistency you would have when making caramel sauce.
Pour your sauce into a sterilized jar or bottle with an ai-tight seal. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

For the hot toddy itself you will need:
- Caramel Apple Sauce: Recipe above
- Apple cider: Here again apple juice would work too
- Lemon Juice: To balance out the sweetness of the syrup and apple cider
- Alcohol: You can use whatever you like most. I personally prefer rum or whiskey. As I created this drink for my friend I am usually using dark rum. It brings in some more kick.
- Cinnamon: A cinnamon stick gives the hot toddy some flavoring.
How to make this caramel apple hot toddy:
To a cup or heat proof glas add the homemade apple caramel sauce.
Set a small sauce pan on the stove.
Add the apple cider, lemon juice and cinnamon stick to the pan.
On medium heat let the mixture cook for a while till it is nice and warm and the cinnamon had time to infuse its flavor into the apple cider.
Turn off the heat and add your preferred spirit to the apple cider mixture.
Pour the hot toddy over the caramel apple sauce.
Stir everything well. You can use the cinnamon stick to stir or simply get the spoon. Leave the cinnamon stick in the drink to let it infuse even longer. Enjoy!
Watch this video to see how to make this drink:
Other uses for the sauce:
The caramel apple sauce is very versatile! You can:
- add it to your coffee
- drizzle it over your dessert like pie or ice cream
- drizzle it over your breakfast like pancakes or french toast
- add it to any other drink you like
- get a spoon and and eat it it straight out of the jar! My friend highly recommends it!
Commonly asked questions:
Can I use the syrup instantly?
Yes, you absolutely can use the sauce immediately and do not have to let it cool down. Just be careful to not burn your hands as it will be very hot.
Can I make a big batch?
Yes! Making a bigger batch of this hot toddy is absolutely no problem! Usually, 1 cinnamon stick is enough even if you double or triple the recipe. If you make more, I recommend adding an additional cinnamon stick.
Making bigger batches will be perfect if you have guests over or the whole family wants to sip on some warm hot toddies. You can keep it warm on the stove. That way the flavors will intensify too as it soaks longer.
OTHER WARMING DRINKS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
📖 Recipe

Caramel Apple Hot Toddy
Equipment
- Pot
- Jar
- Cup
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoon Apple Caramel Sauce Recipe above
- 2 dl Apple Cider (or apple juice)
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 1 dl Alcohol (rum, whiskey, etc)
Instructions
- To a cup or heat proof glas add the homemade apple caramel sauce.
- Set a small sauce pan on the stove.
- Add the apple cider, lemon juice and cinnamon stick to the pan.
- On medium heat let the mixture cook for a while till it is nice and warm and the cinnamon had time to infuse its flavor into the apple cider.
- Turn off the heat and add your preferred spirit to the apple cider mixture.
- Pour the hot toddy over the caramel apple sauce.
- Stir everything well. You can use the cinnamon stick to stir or simply get the spoon. Leave the cinnamon stick in the drink to let it infuse even longer. Enjoy!
Notes
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Your Notes
Nutrition information is calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
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Kayla DiMaggio says
Okay we are huge hot toddy fans and this caramel apple spin was AH-MAZING!
Bianca says
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for trying this recipe 😀
Stacy says
Love a good Hot Toddy and love the twist you added with apple and caramel. So good.
Bianca says
Thank you stacy, I am glad you liked it 🙂
Gregory Halpen says
Yummy recipe! The apple caramel sauces sounds DELICIOUS!
Bianca says
Thank you so much 🙂
Elizabeth Swoish says
This was delicious but that Caramel Apple Sauce was DIVINE! Definitely making these next year for Christmas Eve. Thank you for sharing!
Bianca says
Thank you so much for taking the time and trying this recipe Elizabeth! I am so happy to hear that you love it that much! It is gonna be a great addition for next Christmas Eve for sure! 😀
Natalie says
What a wonderful winter drink. I have to try this one, I haven't got a chance to try this yet. Thanks for the recipe.
nancy says
such a comforting drink!
Shilpa says
Lovely cocktail! And I’m loving that caramel apple sauce. Yumm!
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
That caramel apple sauce looks so indulgent. I bet it takes this hot toddy to a whole new level!
nancy says
its like a giant hug in a cup!
Vicky says
There is nothing I love doing on a cold winter night more than a fun jigsaw puzzle. I often like to have a hot beverage while I'm doing it. This hot toddy seems to be the perfect addition to my puzzle routine. I like how it's tasty and warm the belly.
Sisley White - Sew White says
This gets massive thumbs from up! Toddy with caramel is just too good to refuse.
Beth Sachs says
Such a warming drink. Perfect for the weekend!
Jamie says
This is the perfect drink to warm me up on a cold day! I love the apple and cinnamon flavors!
Angela says
Perfect for this cold wintery weather! I had all the ingredients on hand which always makes me happy. I love the flavor!
Maria Khan says
Great! For me, it's perfect for cold weather.
Ron Beckley says
Very nice. great drink for the snow storm!
Chantal says
Looks so yummy! I need to try this. Thank you for sharing.