In Javanese, wedang means a hot drink and jahe means ginger, so the name is admirably honest. It is an old Javanese favorite, more popular there than plain ginger tea, and it is made by simmering plenty of fresh ginger with palm sugar, usually with a knot of pandan leaf and often lemongrass, cloves or a stick of cinnamon. It contains no tea leaves and no caffeine, yet it is drunk exactly the way tea is: hot, sweet, and frequently.

When the rainy season arrives it becomes something close to a household institution, held to keep colds away and certainly good at keeping hands warm. It is the right drink for a cold, wet qualifying session or a night race watched in the small hours, and it suits everyone at the table, drivers included.

The ginger drink

Ingredients

• 4 oz (115 g) fresh ginger
• 4 cups (960 ml) water
• 1/2 cup (100 g) palm sugar
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 2 pandan leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 pinch fine salt

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