(n.) Though the modern definition of the toddy almost always points to any alcoholic beverage served hot, it wasn’t always so. One of the ancestral drinks of the cocktail world, the toddy’s origins likely came from a number of traditions, but it loosely meant a base spirit (usually rum or whiskey), plus a sweetener, served either hot or cold. There were some medicinal connotations for the practice, especially when it included citrus. Today the usage encompasses a wide swath of drinks that swings from the most basic recipe of a base spirit plus sugar to more complex iterations with cream, egg, fruit, liqueurs, spices and garnishes a plenty.