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My copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball recipe is perfect for when you feel a little under the weather, or just want a comforting, warm drink after a long day! This comforting tea recipe is sometimes referred to as a cold buster – it’s beyond soothing and filled with herbal and citrusy flavors you will love! Ready in under 15 minutes.
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Medicine Ball at Starbucks
When cold and flu season hits, I like to keep my family’s favorite teas on hand for when one of us starts to sniffle or notices a soar throat – and one of those happens to be the best hot tea at Starbucks. My copycat Starbucks medicine ball is a perfectly balanced tea drink with all the comforting properties of honey, fresh mint, and herbal tea!
Of course, to be completely honest, this recipe is so tasty, we like to drink it all year round. It’s the perfect way to jazz up a morning tea routine without leaving the kitchen or to end a long day with a warm, cozy drink.
As much as I love curling up with a big warm mug of Starbucks medicine ball, I also like to serve this over ice during warmer months. In fact, this is a fantastic recipe to batch and serve at a picnic or outdoor dinner party. Plus, it’s completely caffeine free – so you can enjoy it any time of day!
Medicine Ball Tea Ingredients
- water
- lemonade
- mint tea
- peach tea
- peppermint extract
- honey
- lemon or orange
- fresh mint leaves
How to Make a Medicine Ball Tea
- Add water, lemonade, mint leaves, and a slice of lemon or orange to a pot to simmer.
- Once hot, add teabags and let it steep for 5 minutes.
- Pour tea into a cup with honey. Add peppermint extract and stir until nicely combined. Enjoy!
The Starbucks secret menu is always a fun trend to follow, and it turns out the Starbucks medicine ball was so popular, that it was added to the regular menu as honey citrus mint tea! After one sip, you’ll understand why: it is delicious and so comforting.
Medicine Ball Recipe Tips
- Always be sure to place the tea bags on top of the hot water after the water has heated. If you pour the hot water over the teabag it can bruise and change the flavor.
- Allow the tea to steep completely, you want to be sure to get the maximum flavor (and nutritional benefits).
- Because you want the best nutritional properties from the ingredients, the fresher they are, the better.
- This is an excellent recipe to batch and freeze, so it can be ready in a hurry when the cold weather comes around!
Starbucks Tea for Sore Throat Variations
My recipe for Starbucks Medicine Ball is fantastic as it is, but it remains completely versatile, feel free to play around with this medicine ball tea recipe for your favorite variation. Here are some ways I like to customize this drink!
- Change up the tea: The peach tea adds the perfect fruit flavor to pair with the mint and lemonade, but you can use any herbal tea! Medicine ball is also great with raspberry, blueberry, ginger, hibiscus, lavender, or lemongrass tea! You can combine these flavors to your taste, for instance, I love ginger and peach together. If you are making this before bed, try it with Celestial Sleeptime Tea.
- Use flavored honey: I love good local honey, and depending on the season you can find some delicious variations out there, we like clover, wildflower, or orange blossom honey for extra flavor.
- Try it with homemade lemonade: Freshly squeezed homemade lemonade is so worth pulling out a juicer for. Adding it to the medicine ball is an extra special treat!
- Give it a chill: My medicine ball tea is fantastic hot, but don’t forget you can drink this iced as well. Allow the medicine ball to come to room temperature and add to a glass filled with ice. Adding it once it is at room temperature will keep it from melting the ice and becoming watered down.
Starbucks Medicine Ball Recipe FAQs
The Starbucks Medicine Ball is a combination of water, lemonade, mint and peach tea, peppermint extract, honey, lemon or orange slices, and fresh mint.
This recipe is best enjoyed for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Simply pour the medicine ball into a Ziplock freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. Reheat in the microwave or over the stove in a saucepan.
Favorite Starbucks Recipes
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Starbucks Medicine Ball Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup lemonade
- 1 bag mint tea
- 1 bag peach tea
- 1-2 drops peppermint extract
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 lemon or 1 orange
- 3 sprigs fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Add water, lemonade, mint leaves and a slice of lemon or orange to a pot to simmer.¾ cup water, ¾ cup lemonade, 3 sprigs fresh mint leaves, 1 lemon
- Once hot, add teabags and let steep for 5 minutes.1 bag mint tea, 1 bag peach tea
- Pour tea into a cup with honey. Add 1 to 2 drops of peppermint extract and stir. Enjoy!1-2 drops peppermint extract, 1 Tablespoon honey
Notes
- Always be sure to place the tea bags on top of the hot water after the water has heated. If you pour the hot water over the teabag it can bruise and change the flavor.
- Allow the tea to steep completely, you want to be sure to get the maximum flavor (and nutritional benefits).
- Because you want the best nutritional properties from the ingredients, the more fresh they are, the better.
- This is an excellent recipe to batch and freeze, so it can be ready in a hurry when the cold weather comes around!
Let us know what you think or ask a question about the recipe!