Drink Your Medicine

Photo by Adam Milliron and styled by Ana Kelly

Reports of COVID-19 have emptied store shelves of hand sanitizers and Lysol. We’ve even heard that Windex is in short supply. The search for ways to stay safe and keep healthy is absolutely valid and logical…

…AND, as we search, let’s try to keep panic and stress at bay as much as possible. Which is where the Hot Toddy comes in. Keep the sanitizing gels in your car, at the kitchen sink, and in the bathroom. But take care of mind and soul, too. Sip a toddy: after all, it was born as a medicinal dram.

The Medieval era’s fascination with spices as healing substances brought some of our favorite flavors into the brew: cinnamon, clove, anise, and ginger to name a few. As distilling innovations appeared, and spirits like whiskey, rum, and vodka entered the drinking vocabulary, and a library of spiced winter drinks accumulated over the centuries. The toddy is still king of this category, thanks in part to our Irish immigrant forebears who used it for healing a host of ailments and for lifting the spirits! At the first hint of a cold or toothache, my Irish great-grandmother put a toddy together for family members of all ages. She was very popular.

Perhaps it’s time to try one? This recipes is very flexible and forgiving. Improvise a little with what’s in the spice cabinet and whatever citrus might be lurking in the fruit bowl. Don't forget to write down what you add so that you can remember the recipe after the fuzzy enjoyment you’re bound to feel.

Hot Toddy

(Serves one. So double it.)

¾ cup  Water

1 ½ oz. Kingfly Blended Bourbon Whiskey 

2 tbsp. Bumbleberry Farms honey

3 tbsp. Meyer lemon juice 

            Lemon rounds, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise

Warm the water, honey, and lemon juice in a saucepan with cinnamon, cloves and anise to taste. When the mixture begins to bubble, turn off the flame and add whiskey. Pour into small mugs or teacups and sip like Prohibition is still on! Don't be shy about letting the spices continue to soak in the mugs: their fragrance and flavor add to the experience.

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