Dry January is over, but flu season isn’t. So it may be time for a good-old fashioned home remedy. Tess Rose shares a perfect ginger mezcal toddy recipe.
We’re in the thick of cold and flu season, which means it’s time for the folk medicine aspect of mezcal to shine. Mezcal has long been used as a remedy to help alleviate all kinds of maladies–from chills to an upset stomach. Many older mezcaleros swear that one copita every morning and one in the evening will enhance overall health. Now that dry January is over, incorporating a small amount of mezcal to protect against sickness or to alleviate symptoms may be a welcomed part of surviving winter bugs.
Choosing the best mezcal for a ginger toddy
Choose something that is suitable for mixing, ideally nothing that is super exclusive or precious since the flavors will be combined with other ingredients, including hot water– which will enhance the alcoholic bite. I typically don’t use wild agave mezcal in cocktails since they are so limited and precious. Some of my go-tos for mezcal cocktails include Cenizo Colonial, La Luna Black Bottle, El Guel, Casa Cortes, Pelotón De La Muerte, Banhez, and Cuentacuentos Barro.*
This recipe is full of healthy ingredients and served warm, perfect for supporting winter health. The building blocks are basically the same as a mezcal margarita, but the addition of warm water transforms it into a seasonal cozy drink. Though somehow “hot winter margarita” doesn’t have the same ring to it as ginger mezcal toddy. If you are serving this to a crowd (at a brunch party, for example) you could pre-batch and keep it warm on the low setting of a crock pot. Leftovers will keep for a day or two and can be gently reheated on the stove–just be sure not to boil it if you don’t want the alcohol to evaporate.
Ginger mezcal toddy recipe
Ingredients
- 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 oz honey simple syrup
- 1.5 oz mezcal
- 4-6 oz hot ginger tea, boiled and cooled for 5 minutes
Method
- To make honey simple syrup, combine equal parts honey and warm water, stirring until the honey is completely dissolved. Ideally you do not want to heat the honey too much, so use warm water rather than boiling or simmering water.
- You can use a store bought ginger tea bag to make the ginger tea, but for more health benefits, finely chop about a tablespoon of fresh ginger and simmer in 6 ounces of water for 10 minutes; you can leave the ginger in the tea to keep infusing gently and strain just before using.
- Combine the lime juice, honey simple syrup, and mezcal in a heat proof mug, then add the hot ginger tea. Inhale the steam and sip while hot.
*Mezcalistas is an independent publication and these recommendations are not sponsored.
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