Yup. We used lemon juice, rock candy, whiskey and hot water to make a nice hot toddy to get rid of a cold. More often than not, it worked. When my Grandmother was young, alcohol was also used for medicinal uses too.
Warm whiskey. Mix it with with two tablespoons of sugar and put a hard candy peppermint in it. I was told it would either cure you or kill you. For a sore throat, warm lemonade or warm milk with a teaspoon of ginger. The warm lemonade is surprisingly good. The milk with ginger is a little harder to drink, but will quickly ease a sore throat.
Good ideas, thanks for sharing. I may have to give that warm whiskey concoction a try, WinterWitch. I'll get back to you on whether or not it works... either way.