There’s only one reason for winter and it’s not the pursuit of a perfectly crafted snow angel or an injury waiting to happen while strapped onto moving things that speed down nastily sloped and narrow passages through the woods.  It doesn’t require a motor or demand hours camped on ice with a string dangling through a hole waiting for a fish that’s hungry enough to take a chance on a semi-frozen morsel.

NO SIR !!  None of the above.

Winter is for TODDY ! That delectable liquid curative that warms the insides and spreads its restorative goodness throughout the body and leads one to a zen-like serenity.  Add a good book, a well crafted fire, and that’s what winter is for.

I am an avid ginger fan so when I spotted the Tracy Howard rendition on his blog, Imbibe Unfiltered,  I was delighted.  It features  Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur,  a first rate Cognac infused with baby ginger and ginseng.

Way back when trains were powered by steam and passenger airplanes had propellers,  we were given a bit of this elixir to deal with colds and flu.  It was basically hot water, lemon juice, honey, and some sort of whiskey.  There was always a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Slept well and sweated out the bugs.

There are infinite recipes for Toddies so you can fill your wintery days with experiments.   DrinkStreet has a great discussion on the very subject.