Following a recent skiing trip during which I spent the majority of the day falling over on the snow and ice I caught a heavy dose of man-flu.
Everyone from friends to random waitresses agreed that I needed the ‘2000 year old ancient Chinese remedy’ of hot Coke with ginger. On querying the age of Coca-Cola here I’m told the original remedy used brown sugar to improve the flavour of ginger soup, but now people prefer the taste of Coke and Pepsi, or even 7up/Sprite.
Apparently Coke works best as it’s still made with sugar in China, rather than the corn syrup used elsewhere. The ginger is most likely the active ingredient as it alleviates the symptoms of a cold, but the phosphoric acid in a (flat) Coke is apparently good for digestion and stimulates the appetite.
The elixir is made by gently boiling cola in a pan and adding thinly sliced or crushed ginger. The ginger rises to the surface and fizzes in the simmering liquid, then the first hint of the sinus clearing aroma rapidly fills the room. After a few minutes of infusing the flavour it’s poured into a mug and optionally a couple of lemon slices added for Vitamin C.
It should be drunk hot, to get the double burning sensation of the heat and the ginger. This has an immediate effect on a sore throat whilst the fumes loosen a blocked nose. The caffeine in the Coke reawakens the senses and the ginger warms the whole body from the inside.
If you need a recipe, here goes:
- 1 can coke
- 1 inch ginger will make it spicy, although one inch per 250ml will work much better
- Unwaxed lemon slices (optional)
Thinly slice the ginger and place it in a pan with the Coke. Let it simmer for a few minutes to infuse the flavours, then pour into a cup and add the lemon slices. Drink whilst hot for maximum effect. Caution: unsurprisingly, contents may be hot.
From experience: don’t let it sit and boil too long or it’ll caramelise and ruin the pan…
(Un)Fortunately it works rather well, and it’s considered odd to drink Coke+Ginger when you’re not ill, so I’m off to stand outside in the cold until I become unwell again.
heya!
completely off the subject- sorry- but we are heading over to beijing, dongcheng district, this weekend (living in south korea). can you possibly give some tips on transport etc? we arent doing a tour, we want to go check the great wall out on our own time and the busses and subways looks like it may be a struggle to figure out.
thank you!! carmen
Hi Carmen,
Have a look at this post on transport in Beijing. Until you get the layout of the city I’d recommend taxis – they’re all metered and much cheaper than South Korea. Just make sure you pick up a map with place names in both English and Chinese characters.
Buses got a lot easier to navigate recently since Google Maps included them in their driving directions. The Beijing subways are probably the cheapest in the world, but avoid travelling near peak hours as it is very overcrowded.
As for getting out to the Great Wall, any hotel can arrange a tour but they’ll be quite short, noisy and unpleasant. Better to spend the money on a taxi and explore at your own pace. For public transport options have a look at WikiTravel. The reconstructed Wall at Badaling is the closest and easiest to get to from here, but therefore the most crowded, so try and go on a weekday if possible.
Alternatively Mutianyu is just as well preserved but being further away is that little bit less crowded. Unless you’re feeling fit, opt for the cable car over the 500 stairs, and then walk along the Wall until you find the toboggan ride down, but don’t forget to duck.
Have fun!
@aoiferigney @marketingdebbie it is very good,http://t.co/zxUbDu05
I just made this myself and stumbled across this site. I used coke Zero for mine- I wonder if this renders the drink, and thus my trip to the shops, completely useless?
It’s probably a lot healthier, and the ginger will help with a cold. Get well soon!
you can also try sprite. Brits use it
Why not ginger lemon and honey all that unnecessary sugar is only going to feed a cold.
The feed-a-fever/cold/whatever is a total myth. The last thing you want to do is starve yourself when your body’s on overdrive. If you can’t hold down solid food, it’s better than nothing.
A chinese friend of mine made this some 15 years ago and I never managed to quite remember exactly what he used, although I remember him boiling Coca Cola and adding the ginger and I was fascinated. He swore by it though and claimed it was the best remedy for a cold.
Give it a try – even if it doesn’t work it’s delicious!