Gillywater - Spiced Mulled Sparkling Water

[Steve]

---  Sue Wartell <swartell at ...> wrote:
>
> gilliflower (or gillyflower) is another name for several 
> sweet-scented flowers -including clove pinks, carnations, 
> wallflowers, etc.
> 
> that's what came to my mind when Prof. McGonagal ordered it
> for a drink.  ...

bboyminn:

I noticed on the Wikipedia page for Gillyflower, that it is also
related to cloves or a clove substitute. So maybe Gillywater is 
like mulled carbonated water, or a spiced club soda. A bit of 
Gilly substitute for cloves, a tiny dash of cinnamon, and 
perhaps some sweeter flavor to soften the strong spices, say
lemon or orange.

Of course, we won't know until JKR tells us.

For what it's worth, I have a story yet unwritten in which 
Harry and Ron go on vacation around the world. In Asia, they
find that the equivalent of 'gillyweed' there is 'gillyfruit',
though that is a western translation of the native term for
it. Gillyfruit are small white cherry appearing fruit that
taste vaguely like pears, and allow you to breath underwater.

When they reach Austrailia, they discover that down under,
they use 'gillyflower' to accomplish the same thing. Though
the flowers are always dried and drank as a hot tea. Though
you can simple eat the dried petals, but it's not an easy 
chew. Now that I know there really is such a thing as 
'gillyflower', I might have to rethink that.  

It just tickled me to think that other cultures would have
their own equivalent plant to accomplish the same thing.

Still, since there is a connection between gillyflower and
a clove substitute, it is a reasonably guess that 'gillywater'
is spiced or mulled sparkling water. It seems like something
an older person would drink. Younger people tend to go for
more pure sugar drinks.

It's as good a guess as any.

Steve/bluewizard