This recipe comes from a time when I was doing a spot of work for the British Council to pay the bills. We were preparing for the arrival of some big cheese from the UK and I was expected to do a presentation on some professional development courses I had been running for local teachers. I was, as you can imagine, a wee bit nervous about the whole thing. On the Sunday before the presentation I went to the local flea market with Sveta to buy something smart to wear and spent an hour or so standing around in my pants behind various stalls trying on different suits. This was in February and it was minus ten. By the time we got home I could feel a cold coming on and, under the circumstances, I knew I had to do everything possible to knock it on the head. We had no Pertsovka in the house but we did, of course, have vodka.
Try this recipe. It works.
Crush the chilies with your fingers (wash your fingers well after doing this and don't stick them up your nose or in your eyes before you do) Peel and finely chop the ginger and garlic. Shake all the ingredients together in a closed container (the original vodka bottle will do fine) and leave to infuse. Pour through a tea strainer and serve neat in the smallest glasses you can find, filled to the brim. The glass should be emptied in one gulp (traditionally, glasses should be drunk in odd numbers. That means 1 or 3 or 5 etc.). I drank it after three hours the first time but leaving it overnight will allow the vodka to absorb more flavour. The addition of the garlic definitely adds to the medicinal effectiveness of this drink but I cannot honestly say it makes it taste any better. Leave it out if you wish.
I found a suit by the way. A very elegant three-piece job in gray wool.