The minute you have a tickle or itch in your throat, take a tablespoon of this homemade cough syrup.
This all natural home remedy for cough can be made in 5 minutes. It will help relieve your cold symptoms.
"Great stuff!It helped with my throat when I had a terrible cold."
★★★★★ Rob
I don't know about you, but I hate taking pharmaceutical medicine. I don't like the way it makes me feel. I will absolutely avoid it until I have no other alternative.
This home remedy for cough really works. I keep a batch in the refrigerator during cold season to have on hand. Therefore, I don't have to take the over the counter medicine unless I catch it too late.
Next time you feel a hint of a tickle in your throat, take a tablespoon. If you don't catch it in time, take 2 tablespoons every hour until it goes away.
It isn't a miracle worker, but 9 times out of 10, this will make your cough go away. I hope it works for you. Enjoy! Xoxo ~Katie.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
This homemade cough syrup recipe is made with 5 all natural ingredients! This is what you will need:
- Bourbon- (I personally love Brown Sugar Bourbon.) Bourbon dilates blood vessels making it easier for your mucus membranes to deal with the infection. It also helps a little with the pain. (There is not enough to make anyone drunk in this recipe! I promise!) You can use any type of Whiskey if you do not have bourbon on hand.
- Lemon- Lemon is loaded with vitamin C to help you fight that cold!
- Honey- It is antibacterial. It helps coat the throat.
- Cinnamon- Cinnamon has anti-fungal and analgesic properties that help fight inflammation and your cold. It also helps with soothing your throat.
- Water- Water dilutes it enough to help with mixing it all up.
(*Full recipe with ingredient measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.)
How to make cough syrup at home
Making homemade natural cough syrup is RIDICULOUSLY easy! It can be made in 5 minutes, so there is no reason not to have it on hand! Follow these simple steps.
- First, warm your honey in a small sauce pan, on low heat, just enough to soften it. This will happen in a minute or less on low heat. (See tip 2 below!)
- Fresh squeeze your lemon. Combine and stir honey, lemon, cinnamon, bourbon, and water until completely mixed.
- Pour into a container and store in a dark cool place or the refrigerator. I prefer using a small glass jar.
- Take 1 tbs if you catch it early before it develops into a cold. If you have a full cold, take 1 to 2 tbs every hour until cold ends.
Watch how to make
Honey tips
- DO NOT COOK YOUR HONEY!!! (Cooking honey destroys some of those cold fighting antibacterial properties.) Do not microwave your honey because you will not be able to control the heat temperature and you will more than likely over heat it.
- Do you have crystalized honey? Honey does not spoil or go bad. However, some people do not like the crystalized honey because of the texture. This is a great recipe to use up some of your crystalized honey!
Raw honey Vs. honey
Raw honey vs. honey- Raw honey comes straight from the honeycomb and is not pasteurized. You can get raw honey from a beekeeper or your local farmers market.
The honey bought at the store is pasteurized. While both offer incredible health benefits, because the raw honey is not pasteurized, it will have additional anti-inflammatory benefits from the bee pollen that helps build your immune system and fight the bad cough. Therefore, it is optimal to use raw honey if you have access to it.
What if you have a sore throat?
If you have a sore throat or achy body, heat your favorite tea as hot as you can stand it. Add 2 tablespoons of this homemade cough syrup.
The hot tea will help alleviate the soreness in the back of your throat and the terrible achy feelings. This homemade cough syrup will help you feel better!
How do you store homemade cough syrup?
Store your bourbon honey cough syrup in a dark cool place in the pantry or the refrigerator.
The refrigerator will create a thick syrup and the lighter ingredients may separate. Just remember to mix the syrup really well each time before serving.
Does it taste good?
Yes! This home remedy for your cough tastes so much better than that store bought cold medicine....
I mean.... It is primarily honey and cinnamon!!! The rest of the ingredients compliment the flavor combination. Honestly, the hardest part about downing a tablespoon of this homemade cough syrup is that it is so sweet!
As Mary Poppins said, " A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down in the most delightful way."
The honey ratio in this recipe is like downing a spoonful of sugar. Is that really so bad?
If you like this recipe, check out some of my other homemade food projects such as:
- Gummy Bear Fruit Snacks
- Bloody Mary Vodka Infusion
- Homemade Dog Food
- Homemade Celery Salt
- Homemade Jalapeno Salt
Please leave me a comment below if you make this natural cough remedy, and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your homemade cough remedy on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Cough Syrup- Home Remedy for Cough
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 2 tbs cinnamon
- ½ cup bourbon
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Warm honey 1 ½ cup honey on low heat just enough to make it mixable. (30 seconds or less)1 ½ cup honey
- Fresh squeeze lemon to make ¼ cup of lemon juice. Combine and stir honey, lemon, 2 tbs cinnamon, ½ cup bourbon, and ½ cup water until completely mixed.¼ cup lemon juice
- Pour into a container and store in a dark cool place or the refrigerator. I prefer a small glass jar.2 tbs cinnamon, ½ cup bourbon, ½ cup water
- Take 1 tbs if you catch it early before it develops into a cold. If you have a full cold, take 1 to 2 tbs every hour until cold ends.
Leann says
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Rob says
Great stuff!It helped with my throat when I had a terrible cold.
Kyla says
This really helped my cough and allergies.
Chris says
This worked pretty well and tasted surprisingly good!
Vonda says
Excellent!! Thank you
stephen alexopoulos says
when done do i keep in fridge or out thanks
Katie Crenshaw says
Store your bourbon cough syrup in a dark cool place in the pantry or the refrigerator. The refrigerator will make it thick. Just remember to mix the syrup really well each time before serving.
Wendy Parsons says
My grandparents use to make that home remedy for cough syrup I made a whole quart jar today works great for strep
B says
If alcohol is not added should liquid be adjusted?
Diane says
How long does it keep either in the frig and the pantry?
Katie Crenshaw says
I honestly don't know how long exactly. We go through ours rather quick. Because of the honey and bourbon, it should be good for several weeks.
Laverne Walley says
I used Brandy, I didn’t have any bourbon or whiskey. Will let you know how it works.
Cathy says
I just made it and had all the ingredients. I have an upper respiratory. Infection and coughing so hard I might break another bone. Just took my first dose. Not bad tasting.
Cyndi Brandenburg says
How do you store this. In the pantry or refrigerator.
Katie Crenshaw says
There is enough liquor and honey to preserve it to be able to leave this in the pantry. But you can store it in the refrigerator. It can be soothing to your throat cold. However, if you store it in the refrigerator, you will need to shake and stir really good each time. As it gets cold, the honey will separate out.
Roger. Johnson says
I plan on using this concoction to handle all of the coughing that I have do to
COPD.
I've got to do something about the coughing before I break a rib or worse.
Sandy says
I love this recipe, I hope you will post more home remedies.
Tara says
I'm assuming if I don't have bourbon I could use Whiskey too, right? Can't wait to try this!
Katie Crenshaw says
Yes! You can use whiskey if you prefer.
Andrea Metlika says
Perfect timing! This is so much better for you than all the over the counter medications.
Jen says
Woke up definitely needing this today! I love being able to feel better without having to run to the store. Thanks!
kim says
What a fabulous recipe! this will definitely come in handy during cold and flu season!
Erika says
This is awesome! Perfect for all the sickies this time of year.
Emily says
I've wanted to try a homemade remedy for cough syrup. Love all the ingredients in this recipe. It looks so soothing!