Lemon-Ginger Tea With a Twist

The past few weeks, I’ve been fighting off the most terrible cold.  The cough won’t seem to quit, but I’ve at least found a way to soothe my throat.

Each morning, I make myself a little pot of tea in a sweet little individual (16-20 oz) teapot.  These days, in the evening, I’ve been transforming my teapot into a “toddy pot”.  To soothe my aching throat and boost my immune system, my massage therapist recommended drinking a tea made from lemon juice and fresh ginger with a big dollop of honey.  The ginger eases inflammation, reduces nausea and can aid in digestion.  The lemon boosts your immune system and cleanses toxins out of your body.  The honey coats and soothes your throat.  In the final part of the evening, I’ve been adding an ounce of calvados (an apple brandy) to the concoction to relax my throat and reduce my coughing as I go to sleep.

While I still feel like this cough may never disappear entirely, this tea eases my throat each evening when my fatigue has caused the coughing to increase.  If you are experiencing a cough, I hope you try this tea and experience its comforting healing.

Lemon-Ginger Tea with a Twist

1 Generous tablespoon of shredded fresh ginger

1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon honey

1 ounce Calvados (or brandy or bourbon or whiskey)

Place the shredded fresh ginger in your teapot.  Squeeze the juice from the 1/2 lemon into the pot and drop the remainder of the 1/2 in as well.   Fill your teapot with boiling water and allow the mixture to steep for at least ten minutes.

Strain into your mug and add honey and calvados, stirring well to dissolve the honey.

Sip and let the healing begin.