Forget tea and coffee – the Tim Tam slam is best enjoyed with this warm cocktail.
About the cocktail
It’s a competitive field vying for the title of World’s Most Fun Drink. Is it the spider? The OTT freakshake? Those gins that, when combined with tonic, turn purple before our very eyes? All good answers but, for sheer enjoyment, surely it has to be the Tim Tam slam. Well, that is until you’ve tried our Hot Toddy Slam, where we give this much-loved biscuit ritual a cocktail twist especially for us grown-ups. The Tim Tam slam, if you’ve never had the pleasure, is a hot drink (hot chocolate, tea, Milo – whatever you like) sucked through a Tim Tam biscuit. You just bite two diagonal corners off the king of biscuits and let her rip. Our cocktail gurus, in their infinite wisdom, have taken this sacred formula and applied it to a souped-up Hot Toddy – a warming winter cocktail that usually features lemon juice, honey, whisk(e)y and boiling water. Here, the Hot Toddy gets an upgrade worthy of its Tim Tam companion. The basic ingredients are all there (taking Irish whiskey as the spirit), boosted by a little fruity richness from oloroso sherry, a sweet nuttiness from rooibos tea, and a subtle touch of salt to balance it all out. The result is like a nutty, sweet, fruity (and chocolatey, when the Tim Tam gets involved) tea that should be a perfect dinner party dessert or a fun addition to some Friday night couch time with your besties when it’s cold outside.
Ingredients
Boiled water to fill cup, plus 150mL for the drink
3 tsp honey (about 15mL) 10mL lemon juice 1 pinch salt 20mL oloroso sherry 20mL Irish whiskey 1 rooibos tea bag Glass: tea cup or glass mug Garnish: Tim Tam
Method
Fill your cup with boiled water and let it stand for 2 minutes to heat, then discard the water Add all ingredients, except the tea bag, to the cup Now add boiled water and the tea bag, and stir to dissolve the honey Leave to steep for 5 minutes before removing tea bag Garnish with a Tim Tam (Tim Tam slam encouraged)
Dan’s top tips
One of the best things about the Hot Toddy Slam (besides the fact that you get to suck it all through a Tim Tam) is that it comes together without much fuss – you just build it all in the cup and you’re good to go. One thing to keep in mind, though, is to warm the cup by filling it with boiling water and letting it stand for a few minutes before you put all the ingredients together. Otherwise, there aren’t a lot of ways to get this one wrong, but you can definitely make some substitutions if you like. For instance, rooibos tea works well because of its subtle nutty, fruity flavour, but regular black tea will work in a pinch. The same goes with the Irish whiskey – if you only have bourbon or Scotch or rye, they will do just fine. Even a dark rum would be great here. And as for the Tim Tam? We love the original chocolate flavour, but go with your heart.
What is a Hot Toddy Slam?
A Hot Toddy Slam is a cocktail that combines the Tim Tam slam (a hot drink sucked through a Tim Tam) and Hot Toddy (a drink of whisky, lemon juice, honey and boiling water).
What does the Hot Toddy Slam taste like?
The Hot Toddy Slam tastes like a fruity, nutty tea with a big chocolate boost from the Tim Tam.
- What is a Tim Tam slam?
A Tim Tam slam is when you drink a hot beverage (like tea or hot chocolate) through a Tim Tam by biting two diagonal corners off and sucking the drink through.
