Licorice Syrup: A natural way to ease cold and flu symptoms

Winter weather brings its share of colds and flu. Instead of reaching for medicine, try some licorice syrup to ease your symptoms. For centuries, licorice has been used to tame coughs and ease sore throats and lung congestion. Here's a simple recipe for licorice syrup (from Growing & Using Healing Herbs by Gaea and Shandor Weiss):

Fill a glass or enamel container with pieces of fresh or dried licorice root (you can buy licorice root here). Cover the roots with water and simmer for three to four hours. Strain and discard the roots. Add 2 tablespoons honey for each cup of syrup. (The honey acts as a preservative.) Pour the syrup into a sterilized bottle with a tight lid. Use a teaspoon of licorice syrup every few hours as needed for sore throat, cough and lung congestion.

Food Network Magazine Puts Lincoln's Licorice on the Map

What do these cities have in common: Perryville, MO; Lincoln, NE; Portland, OR; Knoxville, TN; Austin, TX?

Answer: They are cities where you can shop at an "extreme specialty store" for food lovers. And they are featured in the December 2009 issue of Food Network Magazine. So what kinds of obsessions to they specialize in?

Sausage (Stonie's Sausage Shop, Perryville, MO)
Licorice (Licorice International, Lincoln, NE)
Salt (The Meadow, Portland, OR)
Mushrooms (Everything Mushrooms, Knoxville, TN)
Hot Sauce (Tears of Joy Hot Sauce Shop, Austin, TX)

Customers are always amazed when they step into Licorice International, located in the Historic Haymarket District in Lincoln, Nebraska. "Your store really is what it says it is," they usually remark. "It really sells only licorice."

But when you have 160 different kinds of licorice from 14 countries, what more do you need?

Although visiting Licorice International is a little like heaven for licorice lovers (the licorice ladies are happy to feed you as many free samples as you want), you don't need to plan a trip to Lincoln to enjoy gourmet licorice. You can get that same great experience (well, maybe without the free samples) by visiting http://www.licoriceinternational.com/

Gourmet Licorice Makes a Great Christmas Gift

You can still order great gourmet licorice from Licorice International for Christmas. Choose 3-day shipping to guarantee Christmas delivery on orders placed by Monday, December 21.

Click here to order

Also, you can get free shipping on orders over $100.

Click here for more details on free shipping.

Licorice Liqueur Recipe: Licorice Root and Time

Licorice Liqueur takes a while to make, but the results are worth it. Although some recipes use anise, only real licorice root gives the liqueur that authentic licorice taste. You can purchase licorice root here.

Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons licorice root, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups vodka
1/2 cup sugar syrup

Wash the licorice root and chop into small pieces. Add to vodka and let stand for one week. Strain and filter. Add sugar syrup* and let stand for another week. Ready to serve. Yield: one pint.

*To make sugar syrup dissolve one pound of sugar in four cups of water and bring to a boi. Cool before using. Yield: 7 cups.

NOTE: Elizabeth Erlandson, one of the "Licorice Ladies" who own Licorice International, recently discussed licorice liqueur with Judy Gilliard on the "Judy a la Carte" program on KFOR radio in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Gifts Under $30: Licorice and More

Are you looking for a great gift for under $30? Here are some ideas from Licorice International:

• Gourmet Licorice Sampler. Everyone likes a special treat. The samplers each contain four varieties of licorice. The International Sampler and Mini International Sampler feature the most popular kinds of licorice from Australia, Finland, England and Germany. I love the Dutch Sampler with its sweet licorice from the country known for the tasty treat (which they call "drop"). You can also choose from two Australian samplers (Australian Party Platter or Mini Australian Sampler), the American Favorites Sampler (some colorful treats, pictured at the left) and even a Sugar-Free or Salty Sampler. For those who prefer red licorice, try one of the red samplers or red and black samplers.
  


• Candy Dish: These hand-made candy dishes were created to fit one package of licorice from Licorice International. A candy dish plus a package or two of your favorite licorice make a nice gift. Each dish is a one-of-a-kind work of art and comes in a gift box. Choose black, blue or white.


• Licorice Puzzle: Puzzles are great to share with others and help pass the time on cold winter evenings. The All Sorts of Goodness puzzle was created especially for Licorice International and offers a fun challenge.


• A Gift Certificate to Licorice International: Let your friends and family choose their favorite kinds of licorice or a gift from Licorice International.

For the complete list of gift ideas, click here:

Free Licorice Spice Tea

Ah, there's nothing like hot tea on a cold winter evening.  One of my favorite herbal teas is Licorice Spice Tea.  There's something about that combination of licorice root and comforting spices (cinnamon, organge peel, Chinese star anise, vanilla flavor, sarsaparilla, orange, clove and cardamom flavors: a delightful combination).

I'm surprised at how sweet this tea is, even without sugar.  It makes a healthy, relaxing treat. Licorice spice tea always makes me feel better. And now I know why. Research shows that licorice root tea has special compounds that act as natural antidepressants. Women's World magazine (October 26, 2009) reports that licorice tea can raise energy, calm stress, and improve immunity! I've always known it soothes a sore throat.

Now you can sample this treat for free when you place an order with Licorice International. Sample teabags (2) are shipped to the same location as the shipping address. If you send a gift, the gift recipient receives the sample package.

For more info on this special offer, click here:

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Licorice Lady Featured on KZUM's Blog Talk Live

On December 1, 2009, Elizabeth Erlandson, co-owner of Licorice International, was featured on Lincoln's KZUM radio station's "Blog Talk Live," a program highlighting individuals who make Lincoln, Nebraska, a great place to live. When you hear Dennis Kornbluh's lively interview with Elizabeth, you'll understand why she and her business partner, Ardith Stuertz, are so enthusiastic about licorice.

You'll also learn fun facts about licorice, such as:

• What country eats the most licorice
• What's the most popular licorice that Licorice International sells
• Several ways licorice is sweetened
• The many tastes and textures of licorice
• Why licorice is different from other candy

To listen to the interview, click here.

(Be patient; the audio may take a little while to download.)


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Licorice Lover Blog Wins Foodie Blog Giveaway

We've just been informed that our blog has won the Foodie Blog's "update your profile for a chance to win" giveaway.  We'll receive a Food Blog mug. Licorice International will receive a free Foodie Blog mug.

For more info about the contest, click on the icon. 



Thanks, Foodie Blog!

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