Gram's Tea (aka Grog)

Next time you are feeling under the weather, cuddle up with a blanket and my Gram's tea

For the past three days this girl has been S-I-C-K. Yes, I have caught whatever crap has been going around and it is a doozie! My symptoms have ranged from cough, congestion, body aches, and worst of all a fever of 101. Aside from being sick I am now officially bored to death. I have slept, knitted, watched every House Hunters Episode on HGTV and bubble bathed my way to raw skin. I am an active person and this is depressing!!!

OK enough complaining, right? You all have probably already had this bug and recovered.

When I was a little girl and got sick, I was very privileged to have my Gram and Pap H come to the rescue. Since my mom was a teacher it was not often that my sister and I got to stay home from school. As in most families, since both of my parents worked it made it hard for one of them to take off of work to stay with us at home. So those rare moments when we woke up a little ill, my mom would come in and take our temp, bring ginger ale and the bathroom trash can (in case of barfing emergencies) and head off to the phone to call my Gram. My Gram was a nurse for the majority of her life but by the time we were children she was retired. She worked in all wings of the Miner's Hospital but loved pediatrics the most. They lived about 30 minutes away, so after my mom called we waited for Gram. When she arrived, she was stern but sweet and I knew not to mess with her.   As I sat on my pallet, that was then made up on the couch in front of the TV (Strawberry Shortcake pillow and all,) Mom would begin telling her my symptoms.  Shortly thereafter, Mom would leave for work and Gram would take over. She was a nurse of the old school variety and a lot of it was very holistic. (Most of it is being prescribed now because more and more modern medicine is failing.)  If a fever was involved, she believed in sweating it out. So the footie PJs would be put on as well as multiple blankets. She kept us hydrated and she always made us this special tea.  Of course, at that age there was no whiskey in it, but as I grew up, this is the one ingredient that she added to the mix. As a kid,  I hated this stuff and I hated laying there "sweating it out" but I knew there was good things to come- Chicken noodle soup, a hand of Rummy or Kings on the Corner and of course Price is Right.  If I was real lucky, my Pap would go out and buy me some Cherry Soda. And a the end of the day,  there was always the hope in the back of my head that maybe tomorrow I will still be coughing too much and I will get to spend another day in Gram's care.

My Gram on duty at Miner's Hospital. Isn't she beautiful?

Today, I still make this tea when I am sick and especially before I go to bed. It is sooo much better than any cough syrup that you can buy and while it does have whiskey in it ........ have you ever looked at the ingredients in NyQuil??? Give this a try instead, and if you have a fever throw on a blanket and Sweat It Out!!!

Gram's Tea (aka Grog)

This is a great drink if you have a cold, sore throat, the flu or a fever. I always called this Gram's tea and I make it for myself and loved ones every time they get sick. When I was speaking to a friend about this tea, they said they used the same basic recipe but they called it Grog. So I included that name here with a link to the meaning of Grog which seems spot on. Enjoy!

1/2 lemon
1-2 tsp local honey
1 cup water or tea
1 shot of whiskey
Optional: muddled herbs- rosemary, lavender, lemon balm, lemon mint, mint
               1 black tea bag (decaffeinated if before bed)


In a large mug or cup juice 1/2 of a lemon and place whole lemon in the cup. Pour whiskey and honey in the mug as well as any herbs. pour approximately 1 cup of boiling water into the mug and allow to steep. If possible hold the mug close to face to allow steam to clear congestion. Cuddle up, sip slowly and relax.