Photo courtesy of theerrantaesthete


Make it a hot one

Warming your hands on a mug or cup of something hot is one of winter's enduring pleasures. The steam wreaths you, the aroma lulls you and the warmth soothes as you imbibe a hot drink.

Now there is scientific evidence that hot drinks reduce the symptoms of common colds and flu. And —bonus—they make you more appealing as they wrap you in their warmth.
 

A hot drink may help reduce the symptoms of common colds and flu, according to new research by Cardiff University's Common Cold Centre

Wassail is a hot, spiced punch often associated with Christmas and going back to the 13th century. Knowledge of the good effects of a hot drink are embedded in the term, wassail. It is a contraction of the Anglo-Saxon term, wæs hæil, meaning, "Be healthy." Modern science has the evidence to back up what has been a common part of folk tradition and belief about the healthful benefits of hot drinks:

New research at the Centre has found that a simple hot drink of fruit cordial can provide immediate and sustained relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness.

Published in the December 2008 edition of the clinical journal Rhinology, the research compared the effects of a commercially produced cordial apple and blackcurrant drink either 'hot' or at room temperature in 30 volunteers with common cold symptoms.

The Centre's Director, Professor Ron Eccles, is urging people suffering from colds or flu to have a hot drink to help reduce their symptoms.

Professor Eccles said: "It is surprising that this is the first scientific research on the benefit of a hot drink for treating cold and flu symptoms.

"With temperatures falling and Christmas just round the corner, cold viruses love this time of year. Having a bottle of fruit cordial in the cupboard and making a hot drink could help fight off the symptoms of festive cold and flu. The big advantage of this type of treatment is that it is cheap as well as safe and effective."

Science Daily

Hot drinks promote warm feelings

Temperature is primevally linked to emotion. Hot drinks tap into the primitive experience of being hot or cold. They benefit from all of the associations of security, comfort and well-being that being warm encompasses.

BBC News is reporting:

People are more likely to judge strangers as welcoming and trustworthy when they are holding a hot cup of coffee, experiments show.

Volunteers rated people as 11% "warmer" after holding a hot drink than after holding a cold drink, the study in Science reports.

The warmth of a drink also influenced how selfish participants were.

In one test 41 volunteers were tricked into holding a drink while they were being taken from the lobby to the laboratory.

They were then asked to read about a fictional character and rate how cold or warm they found them on a scale of one to seven.

Those who had held the hot drink were significantly more likely to rate the character as a warm person.

BBC News

From coddling caudles to tempting hot toddies

Hot drink recipes, from coddling caudles to tempting hot toddies and wassail in between:

Almond Caudle
A medieval drink given to the ailing.

SERVES 4

Ingredients:

    * 2 cups ground almonds
    * 2 cups ale
    * 1 cup water
    * 1/4 teaspoon saffron
    * 2/3 cup brown sugar
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 cup toasted breadcrumb
    * 1 cup currant

Directions:

Bring almonds, ale and water to boil in a large pot. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.


Wassail

"Wassail" appears in English literature as a salute as early as the eighth-century poem Beowulf, in references such as "warriors' wassail and words of power" and:

The rider sleepeth,
the hero, far-hidden; no harp resounds,
in the courts no wassail, as once was heard.
—Beowulf Part XXXIV


Easy  Holiday Wassail

Ready in: 30-60 minutes
SERVES 12

Ingredients:
    *1 gallon apple cider
    *27 whole cloves
    *8 cinnamon sticks
    *1 quart pineapple juice
    *1 can (6 ounce) frozen orange juice concentrate
    

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large crockpot and simmer. Serve hot.


Whiskey Hot Toddy

Serves 1

Ingredients

    * 1 teaspoon honey
    * 2 fluid ounces boiling water
    * 1 1/2 fluid ounces whiskey
    * 3 whole cloves
    * 1 cinnamon stick
    * 1 slice lemon
    * 1 pinch ground nutmeg

  
Directions:

Pour the honey, boiling water, and whiskey into a mug. Spice it with the cloves and cinnamon, and put in the slice of lemon. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes so the flavors can mingle, then sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg before serving.


You can have your hot toddy and listen to it too

From CD Baby.com:
Hot Toddy
Salty Sessions Vol. 1
Hot Toddy Trio

On The Salty Sessions Vol. I & II, Hot Toddy deliver two outstanding collections of whip smart roots/blues. The albums’ incomparable energy and musicianship prompted Blues Revue to say, “These guys are incredible…blues are the predominant theme but they work in elements of jazz and, combined with some outstanding original songwriting, deserve to be a household name in Canada and abroad.”