Starbucks Medicine Ball Recipe (Copycat - Medicine Bomb)

After years of trying to power through colds and that "under the weather" feeling, I realized that the right drinks make a big difference. Something warm and soothing, to smooth out a scratchy throat and to fill the body with warmth.

This Medicine Ball tea is the answer! Sweet and refreshing, it's like a warm hug for your body and soul. And it's a copycat of the Starbuck's drink, so you can make it at home. Because who wants to drive to Starbucks when you're feeling yucky? Leave those slippers and pj's on and make this drink yourself!

What is Medicine Ball tea?

Lucky for us all, an enterprising barista at Starbucks came up with a drink called the "Medicine Ball" which is intended to help us all fight the common cold. Several years ago, the company recognized the popularity of this "secret menu" drink and decide to put it on the menu, calling it Honey Citrus Mint Tea. Which is actually too many words to remember, IMO, they probably should have just stuck with "medicine ball" - or even "medicine bomb" - it's so much easier!

It's a combination of steamed lemonade and 2 types of herbal tea, with a little honey added in. It is delicious, and very easy to make at home!

How does this copycat tea compare to the Starbucks version

Whenever you make a copycat, you have to be prepared for slight differences. But every once in a while, the copycat is better. And this is one of those times!

Having ordered the Starbucks Medicine Ball -er- Honey Citrus Mint tea several times, I would describe the taste as somewhat medicine-y, almost metallic. I'm going to guess it's due to whatever lemonade they use. It's probably less noticeable when you have a cold.

The copycat? I love it! Its fresh and delicious and thoroughly enjoyable. I drink it just because I love it. I have also tried it without lemonade and poured over ice to make an iced herbal tea - loved that too! If you include the lemonade and serve it cold, it's basically an herbal tea version of an Arnold Palmer, a very popular mix of iced tea and lemonade.

I really think you can't go wrong with this drink!

Medicine Ball Ingredients

Starbucks owns the Teavana brand of teas, so it should come as no surprise that this is the brand they use in their stores. I did the same, but also tried this drink with other types of tea, which I will describe below.

Lemonade: I don't know what Starbucks uses for lemonade, so I decided to use one of the more available grocery store brands: Simply Lemonade. It's a sweet and delicious lemonade that works great in this drink. What's unusual is that you do warm it up, probably so you don't cool down the tea too much. As much as it might seem a little weird to make hot lemonade, the end result is worth it.

Pretty much any standard lemonade is a sugar bomb, so I also tried the light version of Simply Lemonade. I did miss the extra sugar a little. But I still enjoyed the drinks made with this lemonade. I haven't tried it yet with sugar free lemonade, but it's even easier to just add some hot water and a squeeze of lemon for a completely sugar free version.

Honey: the final ingredient is honey, and Starbucks uses 2 of their honey packets. I used one tablespoon of honey, which was very good. Then, in the interest of reducing the sugar load, I tried this without the honey. And I still love the drink!

I personally think this copycat drink does not need any honey, with one exception: if you actually have a cold. I recently had a summer cold which resulted in a scratchy throat and I can tell you, the honey does make a difference then. And let's face it: if you're feeling under the weather, a few extra calories of sugar are well worth it if they make you feel better.

Most types of tea contain antioxidants, which have an anti-inflammatory effect that reduces pain and discomfort. Drinking tea helps improve hydration, and drinking warm liquids definitely helps to soothe a sore throat.

Honey has traditionally been added to sweeten the taste of tea, but it is now thought to help in other ways as well. Honey contains both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory compounds. A recent review on the effects on children aged 2-5 years concluded that honey could be as effective or more effective than cold medications such as dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine. (Medical News Today)

How to make a Medicine Ball Tea

Did you realize that different teas vary in their recommendations for brewing time and temperature? The peach tea recommended temperature is 205F, which is just barely below the boiling point. This tea should steep for 5 minutes. Green tea (both Tazo and Teavana) calls for 175F for 2-3 minutes.

How do we deal with this? Here is what I do.

1. Get your cup of water to the boiling point (I microwave for 2 minutes or so).
2. Place the peach tea bag into the water and let it steep for about 2½ to 3 minutes.

3. After the peach tea has steeped some, add the green tea. The water has cooled off some by this point. Steep an additional 2 to 3 minutes, then remove the tea bags.
4. Warm up the lemonade - I do a one-minute burst in the microwave - and mix the liquids together.
5. Add a little honey if desired.

This results in a 16 ounce drink - the size of a Grande at Starbucks.

Give this Medicine Ball tea a try - and have the ingredients on hand for whenever a cold hits!

If you want to try to get an immunity boost, a garlic shot might be just what you need! Or add ginger and turmeric shots to your daily routine to build your immune system even more!

And once you're feeling better, try out another copycat: a lemon panera cookie recipe. Fabulous with some coffee or tea!