Spirited Spirits: Spiced Hot Toddy and Fortune Teller
Surviving the grind
Day to day life is exhausting; as a society we have become so focused on the things that we have to do each day, that these things start invading our off time. More and more people are experiencing massive amounts of stress, leading to burn out, fatigue, and a host of other concerns. Whether it is school, work, maintaining the house, raising a family, or dozens of other things, it’s become so important to make sure that we take time to ourselves to rest, to recharge, and to recuperate. As the popular philosophy states: You cannot pour from an empty vessel; you must fill your own cup first. Little moments throughout the day to go out of our way a bit to take care of ourselves end up going a long way towards not only physically replenishing our reserves, but mentally and physically as well. These two recipes aim to help you add in moments for you to take care of yourself, both in terms of helping replenish your wells and helping you see through the fatigue to make choices that benefit you as much as possible.
Spiced Hot Toddy
We as people have an easy time recognizing physical exhaustion; at a certain point, we literally just can’t function any more. Mental, emotional, and spiritual fatigue are harder to recognize, and are typically harder to treat as well. I know for myself I have a bad habit of attempting to treat my mental exhaustion as if it was physical, and it just never works. This cocktail is an extremely quick and easy nightcap to make even when you are experiencing physical or mental exhaustion, taking all of about five minutes to steep.
The Intentions
The intentions here are about energizing and recharging in all of its forms, primarily coming from both black tea and ginger. Black tea itself is especially interesting, with how much the act of making a cup of tea has become a ritual by itself. You have to wait for the water to boil, you have to wait for the tea to steep, and depending on your love of having an unburnt tongue, may have to wait for the tea to cool down as well. Combining this ritualistic act with how and when we drink tea, whether it’s for that first hit of energy and caffeine first thing in the morning, or that afternoon tea to break up the day and keep you going, you have an ingredient that is perfect adding that spiritual rejuvenation that we sometimes desperately need.
Ginger is the next big one, and in this case it is supplemented with cinnamon, clove, anise seed, and star anise. Ginger infusions and teas have been use to promote alertness and energy, and that spicy kick it’s known for is great for shaking off the fog of fatigue. Cinnamon adds an extra level of mental strength and alertness, whereas clove adds a boost to your psychic or spiritual energy levels. All three of these warming spices also increase the potency of other herbs and spices you are working with, and will specifically feed off of each other in this recipe. Star anise and anise seed round out the intentional profile, adding layers of protection and riding yourself of negative energies. For another recipe that uses this unique spice blend and would pair fabulously with this soothing drink, check out our Speedy Prosperity Triple Ginger Cookies.
The Drink
The hot toddy itself is one of the most prolific hot cocktails of the modern day, with base recipes going back hundreds of years. It is generally a mix of whiskey, lemon, honey, and either tea or hot water (most traditional recipes use hot water, some modern ones use tea). It has been a home remedy for a very long time, primarily used to aid in the treatment of colds, flus, sore throats, and fatigue. In the end, the combination of soothing your throat with honey, hot liquids to break up congestion, and the slight touch of alcohol to help you sleep goes a very long way to making you feel better. The healing and home remedy nature of this drink does help boost the intentions of the spices, as well as just being an enjoyable way to incorporate this intention into your life.
Spiced Hot Toddy
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice (energy, revitalization)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice (clarity, purification)
- 1 Tbsp honey (happiness)
- 1 1/2 oz whiskey (see note)
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 black tea bag (see note) (clarity, protection)
Instructions
- Combine the five spice, honey, whiskey, and lemon juice into your desired cup.
- Add your tea bag to the cup and slowly pour the boiling water over.
- Stir and allow the tea to steep for 3-5 minutes or to your personal desired strength.
- Garnish with a lemon or orange wheel and enjoy!
Notes
- We recommend using a rye whiskey for this drink as the subtle spicy notes of rye pair very well with the Chinese five spice.
- Our preferred black teas for this drink are either an English or Irish breakfast, however any black tea you like will work well.
Fortune Teller
The ability to make good decisions, and act on them in a healthy manner, is one of the hardest things to do when you’re burnt out or exhausted, yet it’s something that we can’t get away from. It’s really easy to let ourselves become swept away by the situation, and we end up making decisions that we regret. Whether it’s dealing with a challenging authority figure, whether it’s dealing with toxic people in your life, or even just friends that get on your nerves, it’s important to have these little rituals you can fall back on. Having something that can reliably ground yourself, help you feel calm and settled, and provide you with some cleansing and clarity is something that can’t be valued enough. This drink is one of my favorites, not only because it’s delicious, but because it provides exactly that: a moment of clarity when things get heated.
The Intentions
This drink aims to accomplish two things primarily: relax and destress the imbiber, and provide clarity and aid to both decision making in general and also to divination for those who practice that. Lavender helps us accomplish the first task, being a well known stress reliever in everything from calming teas to roll on sticks for tension headaches. Beyond that though, lavender has a way of helping you see the bigger picture, of calming you down so your mind can remain open to the possibilities around you. If you’d like a bit more information on the benefits and uses of lavender, we spoke more in depth about it in our previous post, Herbes de Provence and Herb Lemon Roasted Chicken.
Hibiscus is known primarily as a flower full of love and passion, with some noted aids in divination as well. The passion here is really what we’re trying to incorporate. Hibiscus is a tone setter, effectively; we’re not robots making purely logical decisions. We are emotional beings, and whereas our decisions do need a logical backing to them, we still need to be making decisions that allow us to flourish emotionally as well. Following our passions, following the things that make us happy improves our mental health so much, and this little extra intention sets our sights not just on what’s practical, but what will drive us for the long term.
Violets are one of the most common herbs or flowers used in love rituals, and here it’s the gentle, self love that we’re encouraging. Similar to hibiscus, we’re looking at making decisions that improve our life, that set us on the right path. Self love is something almost everybody I know struggles with, and we all at least have moments where it feels like the hardest thing there is. Without this element though, it’s so easy to just make sure our physical needs are met, and ignore our emotional and spiritual needs. Again, we’re looking at making decisions that will benefit us and make us happier in the long term, and we need to look beyond the physical needs for that.
The Drink
At its core, this drink is a spiked lemonade. Lemonade is a classic summertime drink for all ages in the United States, and it has built up this association of relaxing on the back porch, or by the beach, and is building up its own intentions of serenity and joy. This base also makes it a great anytime drink, and although the infused syrup takes a bit to make, you can very easily keep the ingredients for this batched and ready to go whenever you want.
Fortune Teller
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz Creme de Violette Liqueur
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz Lavender and Hibiscus Syrup (see recipe below)
- 2 oz water
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp dried food grade lavender
- 2 Tbsp dried food grade hibiscus (see note)
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, water, lavender and hibiscus in a small pan and heat over medium low heat until the sugar has been dissolved.
- Turn off the heat and allow the lavender and hibiscus to steep into the syrup as it cools.
- Once cooled, strain into a airtight jar or container. The syrup keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Combine the syrup, vodka, violet liqueur, lemon juice, and water.
- Pour over ice into your desired glass.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel and lavender sprigs and enjoy!
Notes
- You can find food grade hibiscus through most online herb retailers, however if you are in a pinch, you can use a hibiscus tea (our recommendation is Tazo Passion).