A No-Recipe Winter Tonic to Cure What Ails You
I don’t love hot beverages for the sake of hot beverages. I barely ever want a cup of tea. I always want a coffee, but it only needs to be hot in the morning. I would never order a hot toddy at a bar. And don’t even get me started on Matcha.
However, there is a time of year when sickness is around corner and the only thing that can fortify you is a hot cup of something. I started making this winter tonic a few years ago, inspired by a Food52 recipe, and it’s been in my winter rotation ever since. There are some weeks when I’ll make this nightly, saving all the leftover tonic for a next-morning treat. What I love about this recipe is that it’s entirely adjustable based on what you have. You can go to the store and get every ingredient, or you can leave a few things out or replace one type of sweetener with another. It’s your cold, nurse it how you want!
Also, this is just downright delicious and is a wonderful replacement for any boring hot toddy recipe you have. Make this, pour in some whiskey or rum, and be happy for Pete’s sake.
A hot ginger-turmeric-lemon-honey-cayenne toddy
The key is this: Don’t stress about amounts, just eye ball it all and you’ll be fine. This is the kind of recipe where a “squeeze” of something and a “glug” of something else may be too much or too little for your personal taste. If you like things sweeter, add more honey! If you like things zippier, more apple cider vinegar.
Time: 30 minutes, mostly inactive
Serves: Two-ish
1. Juice lemon into small pot/saucepan.
Juice it right in, seeds and all, and then throw the lemon itself in.
2. Cut ginger and turmeric, add it to the pot.
Cut each in half the long way and press down hard with the side of a knife—like you would with garlic. If using powdered turmeric, add it once you’ve added the water, in step five.
3. Splash apple cider vinegar into the pot.
One or two ounces worth.
4. Glug some honey in there, too.
Start with a tablespoon—you can always add more later, to increase sweetness.
5. Add a bunch of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
You need roughly 4 cups of water, but just eyeball it—you want to fill a small pot about three-quarters up.
6. Lower heat to low; at barely even a simmer, let it go for 30+ minutes.
I like to do this for somewhere between 30–60 minutes, depending on how long I can wait.
7. Turn off the heat and throw in some mint leaves to steep gently for three minutes
The entire mixture will have a second to cool down from molten-lava temp to I want to drink this temp. Alternatively, you can just garnish with mint when you’re ready to serve.
8. Whiskey time and enjoy!
If you want, add one to two ounces of whiskey or rum to taste. Serve in the biggest mug you have.
Um, excuse me?
You made me make simple syrup for those Rum Old Fashioneds. Can I use that instead of honey?
Of course! Honey is a soothing sweetness to me when I’m sick, but you can use any sweetener you like best.
Does it matter what kind of whiskey or rum I use?
Nope! Go with your house well.
Where can I get fresh turmeric?
You should be able to find it at your local, “fancy” grocery store. Whole foods or PCC here in Seattle.
Can I use other citrus?
You can, but lemon is the best choice. If you’re going to do other citrus, think about mix-and-matching. Lemon, grapefruit, and orange? Stay away from lime.
Do you have a brand of apple cider vinegar you like best?
Yep! It’s the one featured about in photos above—Bragg.
This is a great cocktail. I need more cocktail tips. Where do I start?
With the bar necessities, of course.
