Therapeutic effects of alcoholic drinks: Placebo on the rocks, please

Hardly anyone believes a stiff cocktail can prevent the flu, (but) treating its symptoms is another matter.

Many grandmothers still swear by a hot toddy (a warm mixture of whiskey, lemon and honey) for cold and flu relief. And bartenders, normally dispensers of pleasure, have lately been playing doctor behind the bar.

Consider the "Flu Shot" - It’s a mixture of garlic-infused honey, jalapeño-infused tequila, orange-lemon-ginger purée and a few drops of liquid echinacea. “You’ve got your vitamin C in there, and the garlic is an antiviral, and the ginger is also an antiviral and an immunity booster,”

The "Throat Coat" - in which honey-and-pepper-infused vodka and B&B, a French liqueur, are combined in a snifter with a spoonful of honey. This one is meant for sipping, and is tasty enough for taking with symptoms or without.

Other pharmaceutically themed cocktails - one involves yellow Chartreuse, thyme, lavender and a stick of cinnamon “for the throat”; another involves warm rum, hibiscus and rosehips.