Here is a West Indian traditional cold remedy but omitting the rum!
Chop up ginger (however much you like, but you could do about an inch to make a lot you can have all day) and put into a saucepan. Add two or three cloves, and a piece of cinnamon bark. Add water, bring to the boil and then simmer (or just turn it off and wrap a few towels around it so it stays hot and stews).
After a while, just take out some of the liquid, heat it, and sweeten it to taste (I don't sweeten mine any more which makes it more tooth friendly to be sipping all day), and then just sip away.
You might want to tone down the amounts if you find it tastes too strong.
I think its so virulently anti-bacterial I can't imagine anything living in it, so I don't worry about putting it in the fridge, but am happy to leave it out overnight and reheat some in the morning.
I've noticed my aunt making this (sometimes called Ginger Tea) to 'clear the air' after making curries. So there is often a pot of it on the stove and they drink it as a digestive.
