A Hot Toddy for the Wintertime Sniffles

5:35 a.m.

Sniffly, cold, runny nose, and sneezy.

I get up and use the bathroom and climb back into bed only to realize that my runny nose carries on and I must keep the Kleenex beside me. Oh bother, why try to sleep? I get out of bed and dress to keep warm since the house has grown cold overnight. The furnace is turned way down, the floors are cold and the fire is out so I go set my home into motion for a new day by clicking up the furnace, putting the kettle on to boil and getting my coffee measured out.

As my day carries on, I have a good morning and a jolly afternoon cutting the Christmas Tree in the Hills with my two sons and daughter-in-love. It's a family tradition, you know. By the time we get home and put the groceries away and get the sandwiches made and devoured, I feel the ache come over me, my ears begin to plug up, and my nose goes from runny to stuffy. Time for a toddy.

My Old Stand-by Toddy consists of:

Equal parts honey, whiskey, and lemon juice.

Put some of this mix in a mug and add piping hot water.

Stir and enjoy before bedtime or whenever you feel you need your cold symptoms eased a bit.

My New Favorite Toddy (which I only discovered tonight):

In a mug add:

A spoonful of honey, 2 or 3 tablespoons of cherry brandy (see recipe here) and the juice of a few slices of lemon and throw in the lemon slices themselves.

Pour piping hot water over this and sip.

This is so delicious and a perfect remedy for an on-coming cold.

(Tastes like yummy punch!)

My wholehearted thanks to Natalie who shared her cherry brandy with me this past summer. If you didn't make any when the cherries were bountiful, you'll just have to go to purchase some pre-made cherry brandy. I guarantee you it won't be nearly as nice as mine because my brandy has saturated cherries that will be dipped out and onto a small dish of vanilla ice cream for a throat soother! Think of it as cool and soothing as well as antiseptic.