I must confess I have been going through a severe patch of writer’s block. Anytime an idea pops into my head, I realise that I have written about it already. In fact, I have been in a state of near panic. Normally, I would reach for a strong drink to soothe my nerves, but since I have stopped drinking alcoholic beverages — with the exception of an occasional glass of wine — I have just been staring at my collection of bottles instead. Eerily this is quite similar to the way I gaze at the screen on my laptop in a cold sweat because the words just won’t come. I believe that I will drown my sorrows in a glass or two of wine in celebration of the success of the Jamaica Observer’s Salut!, but my go-to drinks of late have all been hot beverages. Perhaps it is the Brit in me, but everything is solved with a good cup of tea.

There is something about a hot drink that can apply to various situations. The sensation of steam and heat evokes comfort. The first thing we do in the morning is put the kettle on to make our morning brew to revive us and prepare us for the day ahead. If we feel sluggish during the day or have to pull an all-nighter to study, we grab a cup of coffee. If we feel a bit hungry and a headache forms, a good cup of strong tea is usually a quick fix. If we feel cold, hot drinks provide instant warmth. Ginger tea is great for a stomach ache and mint tea is excellent for digestion discomfort. Whatever our hot drink choice, it does the trick for something specific.

Those who personally know me, and those of you who have been regular readers of my articles, know that I am potty over my tea. One of my earliest pieces was an ode to tea; another, a tale of coffee, and I also did a story on good old hot chocolate “tea”. However, I realised that I am passionate for other hot drinks too. For one, I have always been into “bush” teas. Jamaica’s plant diversity is amazing, and many things we take for granted in our gardens or plots of land are so healthy and good for us like fever grass (also known as lemon grass) for instance. Whenever I have a cold, I make an infusion. It’s soothing, fragrant and a great pick-me-up. Cerassee is brisk and bitter, but is supposedly a great blood cleanser. Tree leaves are also popular, some we take for granted, like lime leaves which I also use in my cooking, and susumber (gully bean) leaves. Sour sop leaves are good for nerves and is a good sleep aid. Lately, it has also been touted to have anti-cancer properties.

Other popular “tea bush”, as they are fondly called in the rural parts of Jamaica, are: jack in the bush, search me heart, cold bush, king of the forest, verveine, Guinea hen weed, rice bitters, and medina. Lately I have been hearing a lot about neem and moringa, the latter being called the miracle bush. Naturally for all of the plants I have mentioned one must know how to prepare them properly. Some are boiled, some are infused, some can be combined with other plants, but you have to know what you are doing because you don’t want to end up poisoning yourself. Before the advent of pills, etc, our ancestors used to prepare these plants for different ailments, and with more research and study, many are returning to plant life to supplement medical regimes.

I also love the classic bedtime hot drinks like Horlicks and Milo. These two drinks are well loved by children as well. They are great to warm you up when the climate turns chilly and I find when I have problems sleeping due to insomnia, sometimes drinking something hot helps. Horlicks is a malt barley drink whereas Milo also contains barley, but is enriched with cocoa. The typical sweetener is condensed milk to lend creaminess and we get a one-size-fits-all as it acts for both sugar and milk. Jamaicans love their condensed milk. It’s great in coffee as well. Someone gave me a milky mint tea the other day using this condiment. I was surprised, as I usually take my mint tea plain with or without sugar, depending on my mood.

One of the best winter nights I ever had was a slumber party in the UK with an assortment of hot beverages. One of our friends was going to be a winter bride before she and her husband left for Jakarta in Indonesia for his new job. Instead of the typical hen night – bar-crawling in frigid weather — she wanted something warm and cosy with her girlfriends. It was a simple but effective set-up. We had hot drinks, sandwiches and cakes and had an all-night marathon watching chick flicks while it was absolutely arctic outside. Jamaica is a tropical country, but this month it is chillier in the evenings, especially for those who live in mountainous or hilly areas where it can get quite cool.

HOT DRINK PARTY

This is a cheap and fun way to entertain. There are elements of a tea party, but this is a more humble version. Let your friends bring a sweet treat such as biscuits, cake or savoury snacks to munch on.

Rent a couple DVDs and relax the night away. Have an eclectic mix of mugs, tea cups, saucers and spoons and let individuals prepare their own hot libations. Make sure to have a jug of water and glasses as well.

You will need:

Assortment of Black and Green teas

Hot Chocolate

Coffee

Milo

Horlicks

Cow’s Milk

Almond, Rice or Soy Milk (for the lactose intolerant)

Evaporated or Condensed Milk

Sugar or Honey

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Cheers and Bon Appétit!