Here’s the perfect potion for World Sleep Day, observed on the Friday before vernal equinox each year. “Warm drinks made with Scotch whisky are tried-and-true ways for courting that elusive gnome named Sleep,” says Warren Bobrow in Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today. “That's because Scotch is a versatile healer: It's said to be effective against tension, restlessness, and even sleepwalking.”

Ingredients

• 3 ounces (90ml) Scotch whisky

• 6 ounces (175ml) strong beef bouillon

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Preheat a mug by filling it with boiling water; discard the water after a few seconds. Add the Scotch whisky to the mug and top it with the beef bouillon.

Add a squeeze of lemon to the mixture, stir gently, and raise your mug to good health. As the Irish say, a good laugh and a long sleep are truly the best cures.