Blackberry Brandy

When I was at Lindsey's shop in Francesville yesterday for a hair cut and color/highlighting, I was talking to the mother of three of my former students, Donna.  As we chatted, I coughed a few times, and she commented that it sounded like I had had a touch of bronchitis.

I told her that the coughing had come and gone over the last two weeks, sometimes disappearing and sometimes hitting me full force.  I was resisting going to Urgent Care; rather, I was treating myself by taking lots of Mucinex and emptying a bottle of Robitussin.

She told me that when she and her husband had been hit with bronchitis and severe coughing fits a few years ago, they had an appointment with an ENT.  They asked him for a recommendation on over the counter medications to treat the cough, especially. His response?  Blackberry brandy.

The trick is to pour a shot of brandy, then sip it and let it trickle down into the throat and coat it.  While there are several flavors of brandy, such as peach, apricot, apple, and vanilla, as well as plain brandy, the blackberry is the one which works because of the anti-oxidants contained in the blackberries.

It is worth a shot, right? (catch the pun there?)  Gary and I checked at Walmart yesterday when we were there to pick up a gift for Lynnlee.  Then we stopped at Meijer and looked at their liquor section, which offered the other flavors of brandy but no blackberry.

On to the liquor store in Rossville.  It was a quick stop.  The person working had never heard of blackberry brandy.  Another stop at the CVS to check out their shelves. Nothing.

Back to Lafayette again.  We found a liquor store in the plaza where the Weight Watchers meetings are held, close to the Enterprise Car Rentals on Creasy.  Gary walked in and asked for blackberry brandy and walked out with a small bottle.

Last night I poured a shot, took a couple sips, then poured it into a small glass and added some Sprite Zero.  I sipped it while sitting at the island, looking at FB and checking out some other things on my phone.

I didn't cough through the night, and while I have coughed a few times today, there have been no gut-wrenching, endless hacks as there had been. 

I think it worked.  Before I go to bed, I will pour another shot, sip it, add some Sprite Zero, and hope the coughing vanished in a day or two.

Who knew?  Blackberry brandy!