It’s about the worst time of year for cold and flu season. It’s late winter, the air is cold and dry. The skies are overcast and dreary, and we’re all over the winter weather. Chronic coughs, nasal congestion, and sneezing plague our households and workplaces.

Back in the late 18th Century, the hot toddy was the remedy of the day. There are many variations on this drink, but at it’s core there’s hot water, alcohol, sugar, and spices, often with some citrus. Back in the day, doctors actually prescribed it for the common cold. Historically, the alcohol was rum or whiskey, but you can use whatever you like.

Where does the funny name come from? Supposedly the etymology of the word finds its origins in India, where the Hindi word “taddy” meant a beverage made from fermented palm sap. There’s also a separate origin story about an Irish doctor named Todd who prescribed the drink as his remedy of choice for the common cold. Whatever the origin story, it certainly warms you up.

Now, I certainly don’t advocate drinking alcohol when you’re really sick. If you’re already dehydrated from a bad case of the flu, it’ll only make it worse. But if the cold’s simply getting to you or you have that sore, scratchy throat, there’s almost nothing better.

Our version of the hot toddy is pretty simple. It’s our grog recipe! Grog is made with rum, water, sugar, and lemon or lime. Make that water nice and hot, and you have your hot toddy. Garnish with a little nutmeg or cinnamon for some extra spice.

In just a couple days, we’ll be introducing a new holiday-themed drink with some true buccaneer era origins. But in the meantime, take another look at last years holiday drink, Bloody Grog Nog. You can either make your own egg nog from scratch, or use your favorite store brand, and add our simple twist.

On behalf of Pintel and Ragetti, and MyPirateBar, have a Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! 

Here’s 3 quick scenarios to make the most out of your piratey language!

1.  Frustrated at work? Deadline coming up sooner than you’d like? Get a good “Aarrgh!” in there and make sure the next guy over can hear it.

2.  Co-worker or family member testing your limits? Just tell ‘im to “go walk the plank!”

3. Entering a room and want to make a true entrance? Forget “Hey guys!”. Go with “Avast ye swabs!”

It’s also fun to answer every question with either an “aye” or a “nay”. When you get off work, or when you have some of that rare down time before bed, make yourself a nice serving of grog, with our grog recipe. It’s a great way to finish out the day.

For August’s home bar, I’ve selected the iconic globe replica bar. This one shown is a 16th Century replica globe. While the Golden Age of piracy wasn’t until the 18th Century, there were pirates back in the 16th Century like Sir Francis Drake (he may have been more of a privateer, but he still did plenty of things that put him in the pirate category).

The benefits for a small globe bar like this include portability, its compact nature, and cost. It can easily fit in a corner or small nook and stay out of the way until you need it. Most of these are also not over $150 and there are a couple different variations.

The downside to a bar this small of course is the limited space for bottles and glasses. You may be looking at a limit of a 5- bottle bar. If you want a little more space though, you can try this variation with a longer shelf extension.

In short, if you’re looking for a small start to a pirate-themed or otherwise classical home bar look, the globe bar may be a good fit for you. Check it out here.

For the first featured product, I thought it best to feature one of my favorites, the Pirate Bottle Opener by SUCK UK.

I have this one myself and it really is fun. In fact, this was one of the first accessories I purchased when I finished building my home bar. I wanted a pirate-themed bar, and this is a pirate bar-themed bar tool, so how could you go wrong? Well, you can’t, whether you’re looking for a clever set of features, or just a clever talking point piece.

This is a 3-in-1 bar tool that features a wine corkscrew, a foil cutter, and a bottle opener, all organized to look like a peg-legged pirate (especially if you leave the cork on the corkscrew).

The 3-in-1 nature of it makes it super convenient, but even if you’d prefer to have separate tools, having this little guy with his cork peg leg as part of your bar display will certainly get some grins.

He retails for about $15, which isn’t bad if you consider all the features. Its design makes it compact for easy storage in a small bar drawer. It really is a good quality item too, and can definitely hold up to the regular home bar entertainment workload. If you haven’t already, go check it out here.