Autumn and winter are some of my favorite seasons. The crispness of the air, the changing leaves, the hot cocoa and pumpkin spiced lattes, the cozy knit sweaters – it all adds up to wonderful days. But the autumn and winter months are also prime cold and flu season. While things like chicken soup and a few days’ rest will often do the trick, sometimes we need a little extra kick to help us through.
Sometimes when we experience an annoying cough that won’t quit, we turn to solutions like over the counter cough syrups. But if we’re being honest, a lot of these taste quite vile. Their taste is almost worst than the persistent cough itself. But not only are the drugstore cough syrups downright gross in taste but sometimes they have unwanted side effects such as drowsiness. Personally, I find that the non-drowsy ones still make me feel out of it to a degree. But there is one solution that some people seem to be in favor of, which is making their own homemade cough syrup. And it’s simple enough of a recipe too – the main ingredients being bourbon, lemon juice, and honey. If you’re worried about it being too strong, then you can always thin it out a bit with some water.
The full ingredients list is as follows below:
Bourbon Cough Syrup for Grownups
2 ounces bourbon whiskey
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 2 ounces)
2-4 ounces water (optional)
1 tablespoon honey
The directions are also quite simple:
First, you take your bourbon, lemon juice, and water (if you choose to incorporate it) and put them into a mug and heat in the microwave for 45 seconds. Or there is also the option to warm it up on the stovetop if you’d prefer. Then you can add in the honey and whisk it through in order to mix it in. Then reheat it again for an additional 45 seconds.
Of course, if you do end up drinking this when you’re sick then it’s advised that you give it a little time to cool down. You don’t want to accidentally scald the roof of your mouth.