Hot Toddy: the Age-Old Snowstorm Companion

It’s a new year. I started off with a challenging (painful) workout and some healthy eats. I stocked my fridge with greens for juicing. I was planning on a mild detox from the holidays. Then…it snowed more in the lowcountry of South Carolina than it has since 1989. Best laid plans, right.

The answer? A hot toddy, of course. I aspired to not only warm the heart and soul after an outing with my husband and our munchkin, I conjured up a steaming beverage that was action-packed with cold-fighting ingredients like ginger, lavender, lemon and local honey. So, if you haven’t thawed out from this latest winter blast yet, give this concoction a try. The tart lemon, zing of ginger and bracing kick of Bourbon will definitely cures what ails ya!

Recipe makes 2 mugs

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon culinary lavender
1 teaspoon raw sugar (or more if that’s your preference)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon local honey
2 ounces Bourbon (or your favorite brown booze)
12 ounces water
juice of ½ a lemon
thin lemon peels from ½ a lemon (save 2 for garnish)

Start by placing lavender, raw sugar and ginger in a mortar then muddle it with your pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, a food processor will do the trick.

Place the dry ingredients in a saucepan then pour in honey, Bourbon, water, lemon juice and all but 2 lemon peels. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Take your 2 lemon peels and curl them around a clean pencil for a garnish twist. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes then strain and serve.