As soon as my Thanksgiving vacation began, I got hit with a coughing and sneezy cold. I kept pushing away the medicine that my parents offered me, and got through the short break on a steady regimen of hot toddies before bed. When I got home, I was catching up on issues of Bon Appetit and ran across this recipe for Bran's Dram in their December issue. The hot berry tea and white rum makes me think of a ray of tropical sun shining down on a snowman...if that's ever possible. I pulled out some Raspberry & Quince tea and some Bacardi and set my tea pot on the stove. This is a fun twist on a traditional hot toddy, with the "curative" powers of tea, booze, honey and lemon. The best part is? You don't need to be sick to enjoy this wintry libation.

Bran's Dram
Ingredients:

• About 6 oz, or just under a cup of hot water
• 1 bag of berry herbal tea (I used The Republic of Tea's Raspberry & Quince)
• 1 1/2 oz white rum (I used Bacardi)
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• Lemon twist, for garnish

- Steep the tea in some hot water and remove the tea bag when done.
- Add the white rum, honey and lemon juice and stir.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.