Everyone has some sort of cold remedy. Some magical ancient concoction passed down from your great-great-granny that's sure to knock the wind right out of a germ’s sails.
There was a time I was convinced mighty bass lines amplified at massive decibels would shake loose the phlegm and make everything better. That's some classic teenage thinking for you. Of course I should go out when I'm sick! It will cure me!
That belief held firm until a night of epic stupidity when I needed a little help getting home after deciding there was nothing better to combat a 103 degree fever than a Walkmen show. Wrong, young Yvonne. Very wrong.
Luckily that sure fire method was replaced by the blue pill/white pill combo. My bestie and college roommate Sarah had an endless supply of these mystical pills thanks to a dad with a prescription pad. I couldn’t tell you what they were but if taken at the first tickle of a cold, that’s the last you would hear from it.
Sadly Sarah and her medicine cabinet dwell well over a hundred miles away now, so I was on my own when I found myself sick and miserable this week. What's a girl to do? Try to ward off the bronchial invaders with some Hot Toddies, obviously! More specifically, Hot Toddies with lots of lemon!
I love lemons. I may, in the privacy of my own kitchen, peel and eat them as if they were oranges, while singing “I said I'd rather be with your friends mate cause they are much fitt-aaahhhhhh.” So I use a lot of lemon. You use as much as you can handle.
Ingredients
(makes one drink)
2 tablespoons bourbon or whisky
2 teaspoons agave nectar
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup brewed chamomile tea, very hot
Directions
While tea is brewing, whisk together bourbon, agave and lemon in a large mug.
Pour in hot, brewed tea and stir. Let a happy slice of lemon float in the mug and top with a light sprinkle of cinnamon.
Ok, so this Hot Toddy won’t exactly cure you. As I write this I’m still, quite audibly, suffering from laryngitis or bronchitis, or a combination of the two. But a nice Hot Toddy before bed did make falling asleep a bit easier. So give it a try.