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Cocktail History
The Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night is a modern cocktail that was created by Chantal Tseng in Washington, D.C. The recipe uses the Hot Toddy template but calls for bergamot-flavored Earl Grey tea as the base instead of water and adds a smoky Scotch whisky that is balanced by honey syrup, allspice dram, and lemon.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Earl Grey Tea: This is a type of tea made with black tea leaves and bergamot oil. We used Twinings Earl Grey Black Tea.
Peaty Islay Scotch: This is a type of of Scotch whisky made in southern Scotland with with spices, alcohol, water, and malt or grain that has been dried with peat fires. We used Ardbeg 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky because it has a strong peaty flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Escape Mocktails Green Label Single Malt Whiskey Non-Alcoholic Alternative in place of the whisky.
Honey Syrup: This is a sweetener made with honey and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s simple recipe.
Allspice Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with allspice berries, spices, sugar, and rum. We used St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram. For a mocktail version of this drink, try homemade allspice Demerara syrup in place of the allspice liqueur.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Star Anise: This is the seed pod from the fruit of the Illicium verum plant. We used star anise from the bulk section at our local grocery store.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Saucepan: This is used to warm the ingredients. We used the Cuisinart 3-Quart Stainless Steel Saucepan with Cover.
Ladle: This is used to transfer the water to the cup. We used the OXO Good Grips Silicone Everyday Ladle.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
Tasting Notes
The Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night features fragrant herb and spice aromas, has honey-sweet and warming taste comprised of slight peaty whisky flavors and a bounty of tea and other spices, and ends with a very mild peat-tinged tea aftertaste.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We didn’t know what to expect of a Hot Toddy with Scotch but were both pleasantly surprised at how palatable the Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night was. The sweeteners did a great job of balancing out the peated spirit’s harshness and added a nice warming, smoky quality that was pretty complex.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Tea, allspice, and other wintry flavors combine to great effect in this drink. Despite having a hefty amount of Scotch, it retains a wonderfully sweet and easygoing flavor that effectively hides the roughness of the whisky while still highlighting its better parts. All in all, I was a pretty big fan of this cocktail, and while I pretty rarely decide to make a hot drink, this is a wonderfully flavorful alternative to the classic Hot Toddy that I would be happy to make for guests, even if whisky isn’t typically a go-to for them.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“Warm tea drinks just really hit the spot in the dead of winter, and this one’s no exception. Although I think I’d like it even better without a different base spirit given I’m not the biggest fan of Scotch, the herbal and spiced ingredients did do a good job of toning down its peated flavor and really let the taste shine through. I wouldn’t call this a favorite for my own palate, but it was still quite good.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH.
Place tea bag in a mug.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
Pour boiling water into mug over tea bag.
Steep for 3-5 minutes.
Remove tea bag.
Add whisky, honey syrup, allspice liqueur, and lemon juice.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Garnish with star anise.
Ingredients
Directions
Place tea bag in a mug.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
Pour boiling water into mug over tea bag.
Steep for 3-5 minutes.
Remove tea bag.
Add whisky, honey syrup, allspice liqueur, and lemon juice.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Garnish with star anise.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Escape Mocktails Green Label Single Malt Whiskey Non-Alcoholic Alternative in place of the whisky and homemade allspice Demerara syrup in place of the allspice liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Hot Cocktails
If you like this cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Hot Peppermint Patty: A low-proof cocktail made with milk, white peppermint schnapps, dark crème de cacao, white crème de menthe, cocoa powder, whipped cream, and grated chocolate
Pumpkin Cider: An apply brandy and dark rum cocktail made with apple cider, pumpkin cubes, butter, sugar, whole cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and grated nutmeg
Chartreuse Toddy: A brandy cocktail made with water, Green Chartreuse, lemon juice, honey syrup, and star anise
Bailey’s Latte: A low-proof cocktail made with milk, Irish cream liqueur, espresso, whipped cream, and cocoa powder
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