What exactly is a hot toddy?

At a wedding several years ago my husband’s second cousin, who we see only at formal family functions, stated that during the upcoming holiday season she would invite us to her home for a hot toddy. Unfortunately the upcoming holiday season came and went without a hot toddy invitation. At the end of each holiday season since, my husband and I joke that once again we did not get our hot toddy.

Now I don't want to get on a soap box about my husband's second cousin because everyone has good intentions, including myself, which never materialize due to our hectic lifestyles. What I really want to know is: What exactly is a hot toddy?

After spending most of the morning researching the origins of the hot toddy, I discovered that it has its beginnings in the Asian countries where the sweet sap or juice from the palmyra and caryota uren palm trees was used as a beverage. It was originally called tari which is a Hindu word meaning sweet sap. The Asians fermented the drink into a beverage. British sailors discovered tari during their Asian travels, brought the idea home and tried to replicate it. They used hot whiskey, water and sugar changing the name (historians are not sure if this was intentional) to toddy. If they added lemon and spices it was called punch. The original toddy was the most common way of drinking whiskey until it went out of fashion in the 1880's being replaced by whiskey and soda.

Today's definition of a hot toddy would be a drink that included brandy, whiskey or rum mixed with hot water, sugar and lemon. I am including a recipe for Toddy taken from Joy of Cooking by Irma S Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker:

In an 8 ounce mug, place:
1 teaspoon sugar syrup
1 stick cinnamon
1 jigger whiskey, rum or brandy
Fill mug with very hot water. Impale over edge of mug:
1/2 lemon slice studded with 3 cloves.