THYME THROAT & COUGH SYRUP – a wonderful cough syrup, soother of a sore throat or simply a delicious liqueur

Ingredients

* 1 Litre of Brandy or similar spirit (in Crete we use Raki) – a alcohol free alternative would be to use Glycerine
* Five big handfuls of dried Thyme
* 10 Cinnamon quills broken up
* Handful of cloves
* 1 Kg of raw sugar
* A 2-3 litre glass jar

Method

1. Place the alcohol into a clean glass jar
2. Add the sugar and shake vigorously
3. Break up the thyme and the stalks and place in the jar.
4. Add the broken up cinnamon quills and cloves.
5. Tighten the lid and shake vigorously.
6. Leave the jar in a sunny spot for 40 days.
7. Shake the jar each day to make sure the sugar dissolves.
8. After at least 40 days drain the liquid (into a clean glass pot or stainless steel pot) through a cheese cloth or cotton tea towel.
9. Place the syrup into clean bottles (preferably amber) and store in a cupboard.
10. Use a tablespoon of the liquid 3x/day as a cough syrup before meals.
11. As a throat gargle use a tablespoon and gargle for at least 10-15secs before swallowing. Avoid drinking water for at least 5-10 minutes to give the Thyme syrup a chance to soothe the throat and have an antiseptic effect.