Having been sick for five days and struggling to sleep with an exhausting cough, I made my first hot toddy last night. How a man so fond of whiskey has gone this long without trying such a thing is a mystery. Coughing so hard it hurt, I got up, and while walking (and coughing) downstairs, asked my phone for a hot toddy recipe:

• 2 Tbsps bourbon
• 1 Tbsp mild honey
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup boiling-hot water

I heated the kettle, measured bourbon, honey, and lemon juice, then poured not hot water into the mug. Not hot enough water. The whole thing was cool by my first sip and the honey was still a bit congealed. Oh well. It only worked about as well as hot tea or cold water but tasted better. Lying in bed, waiting for sleep, dreading the cough's return, I revised the recipe:

• 4 Tbsp bourbon
• 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Water just off a rolling boil to fill my small mug

Microwaving bourbon sounds like a crime but maybe I can steam it over the kettle somehow. I'll work on that. Got to do something about this cough.

A comment on the website suggested a simpler approach:

I substituted bourbon for the lemon and honey. I also substituted bourbon for the hot water. Fantastic! Would make again.

I respect that minimalist approach but would add a cube of ice and call it the near-perfect hot toddy.

At work today, a colleague suggested the following version:

• 1 shot Fireball
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tea bag (lemon ginger, lemon ginger turmeric, or whatever)
• 1 wedge of lemon
• Water to top off the mug
• 1 Halls Cough Drop added at the end

She suggested I get comfy, sip, enjoy, and pass out. I very well might.