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Beating Cold and Flu Season, One Dram at a Time
It’s that time of year again - the days are dark and dreich, the fairy lights from Christmas have been packed away, and pay day seems a long, long way off. Worst of all, the annual bout of cold and flu is once again making the rounds and we’ll all rather be in bed than at our desks.
Does Whisky Help With a Cold?
Good news though, we’ve discovered that a moderate amount of whisky could actually be the cure to your ills (the cold and flu ones anyway, sadly there’s not much we can do about the weather)!
As many of our whisky-heads will know, it is believed to have originated in the 1400s from the Celtic peoples of Ireland and Scotland (a blog on this contentious history coming soon). Known then by its Gaelic name ‘Uisge Beatha (alt. usquebaugh)’, which roughly translates to ‘the water of life’, it’s thought that the grain spirit was distilled and introduced by monks as a medicinal liquid.
Whisky was said to relieve inflammation of the joints, slow aging, prevent shivers, and raise your spirits. Whilst many of you may scoff at this idea and say that those Benedictine brothers were simply selling the good stuff to make a copper or two on the sly, modern medicine has also speculated that, in moderation, whisky could be the perfect pick me up for those under the weather.
Key to this is whisky’s effect on your blood; when you consume small amounts of whisky it will widen your blood vessels for a short period, allowing more white blood cells (the ones that fight infection) to rush to your aid in battling stuffy noses and wheezy chests! Better yet, though the reason for this is still unclear, some studies have shown that moderate amounts of whisky can boost immunity against sicknesses like the common cold, so you could ward off the sniffing and sneezing altogether!
So, armed with this information, and the knowledge that all of this is advised with moderation above all else, why not whip yourself up one of these winter warmers with your favourite whisky:
Orange Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
- 50ml The Loch Fyne Chocolate & Orange Liqueur
- 250 ml Milk of Choice
- 1 tbsp Hot Chocolate Powder
- Whipped Cream
- Mini Marshmallows
- Extra chocolate powder (or cinnamon) for garnish
Method:
- Gently heat your milk, and add in your hot chocolate powder.
- Remove the mixture from the heat, pour into your favourite mug and add your Whisky.
- Top your mug up with mountains of cream and marshmallows and extra chocolate powder to sprinkle on top. Serve.
Whisky Mac
Ingredients:
- 25 ml ginger wine
- 40 ml The Loch Fyne Blend
- Strip of pared lemon zest, to serve
- ice
Method:
- Make sure to chill your glass by adding the ice cubes in first, then pour over the ginger wine and your Whisky .
- Stir to combine
- Serve with a curl of lemon zest.
Hot Toddy
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 44 ml The Loch Fyne Honey Liqueur
- Honey, to taste
- Lemon juice, to taste
- 1 slice of lemon studded with cloves (optional, for garnish)
Method:
- Stick the kettle on and pour out half a cup of hot water.
- Add your Whisky, honey, and lemon juice. Stir until the honey has disappeared into the hot water. Taste, and adjust according to your liking.
- Garnish by adding a slice of lemon studded with a few cloves in the rind. Enjoy!
Irish Coffee
Ingredients:
- 30 ml Whisky
- 20 ml rich demerara syrup (or a couple of cubes of brown sugar)
- 100 ml quality coffee
- Fresh/Whipped Cream (depending on your fancy)
Method:
- Pour the whisky, demerara syrup and coffee into an Irish coffee glass, leaving space at the top for the lightly whipped fresh cream.
- Top with cream.
- Serve
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