This post may contain affiliate links meaning if you buy from them, I will make a few pennies, at no cost to you. See disclosure here.
This copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea only has four ingredients and is perfect to make at home in the cold months. You just need lemonade, honey, mint tea, and peach tea to warm your bones and soothe a scratchy throat!
Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea
When the weather starts to cool down and you need a little pick me up, this copycat Starbucks medicine ball is the drink for you! This drink is perfect when you have a cold due to the mint, lemon and honey.
From the Starbucks secret menu, it’s a great alternative to coffee in the morning for all my non-coffee drinking friends.
I don’t drink coffee, but I do like going to Starbucks every now and then. They have great teas (I get a Passion Tea Lemonade), non-coffee drinks (like this copycat Starbucks hot chocolate recipe), and my girls love getting a cake pop.
This medicine ball tea has become one of my favorites, especially during the cooler months. It’s a great alternative to warm cranberry orange cider.
Why you’ll love this Starbucks Medicine Ball recipe
Health Benefits – Tea and honey are a classic combo for boosting antioxidants and alleviating cold symptoms. The first sign of a sore throat and I reach for some tea. Lemon offers vitamin C, mint helps clear congestion, and honey is known for helping coughs and sore throats. It really is a cold buster tea!
Comfort of your own home – When you’re not feeling well, even the drive-thru can seem like too much work. Making this tea at home saves you time and money.
What is a medicine ball drink?
The medicine ball is a combination of jade citrus mint tea, peach tranquility tea, steamed lemonade and honey. It is sometimes called the cold buster as well due to it’s cold fighting ingredients.
Some people swear that this drink helps relieve cold symptoms and sore throats so it’s perfect for flu season. It’s a secret menu item and also goes by medicine bomb or Starbucks wellness tea.
Medicine Ball Ingredients
The great thing about this drink is that it uses simple ingredients. You can even switch out the teas for what you have on hand as well. Scroll down for the full recipe card with measurements
To make a medicine ball at home you will need:
- Mint tea – I used Tazo Zen for my medicine ball. It is a green tea, which is full of antioxidants, with spearmint and lemongrass and has a great flavor. You can use any citrus mint teas that you prefer, like Teavana jade citrus mint.
- Peach tea – There are a bunch of different peach teas that you can pick from at the grocery store. Grab your favorite brand for this recipe. Teavana Peach Tranquility tea is a good one.
- Water – You need boiling water to steep the tea.
- Honey – Local honey is always best, but any honey will work in this recipe.
- Lemonade – You will want to get pulp-free lemonade for this recipe. You steam the lemonade and add it to your tea to make the perfect medicine ball at home. I like Simply Lemonade, if not homemade lemonade.
Add some slices of fresh lemons for additional vitamins and garnish with some fresh mint if you’re feeling fancy.
How to make a Starbucks Medicine Ball at home
Once you have gathered the ingredients, you will also need to grab:
- Pitcher – I bought this pitcher a few years ago & so far so good.
- Coffee cup or mug – These travel mugs are great if you’re going to take your tea to-go.
- Mixing Spoon – A long spoon to stir up the pitcher.
- Frother – Optional, but a nice touch.
- STEP ONE: Brew the tea. Add two tea bags of each variety of tea in your pitcher (two mint bags and two peach bags). Pour hot water over the tea bags and allow to steep for 5 or so minutes.
- STEP TWO: Steam the lemonade. You can either use a small saucepan or simply heat up the lemonade in the microwave using a microwave safe container. If using a saucepan, heat over medium heat until almost boiling. If using a microwave, heat for 2 minutes. After, to give the drink a smoother texture, you can froth the lemonade using a handheld frother. This is optional but recommended.
- STEP THREE: Combine the ingredients. In your mug, add a tablespoon of honey. Fill halfway with hot tea from your pitcher. Top with steamed lemonade. Give it a quick stir and enjoy!
How to store leftovers
If you make a pitcher, you can store the pitcher in the refrigerator. Place a piece of saran wrap over the top to keep it fresh, removing the tea bags first.
To make another drink, warm the tea in the microwave and follow steps 2-3.
Tips & Suggestions
Whichever brand of tea your local grocery store carries should be fine. Look for a citrus mint tea bag, something with lemon verbena, and a peach tranquility tea bag.
You can make homemade lemonade with fresh lemon juice for even more vitamin C.
Medicine Ball FAQs
Nope, you don’t have to use the same brand that Starbucks uses. They use Teavana teas in their stores (which is easy to find at Target or the market) but you can use any brand you’d like.
Any honey citrus mint tea or a peach tranquility herbal tea will work.
Absolutely. Free feel to use whatever type of lemonade you’d prefer for this recipe. The directions stay the same.
For extra vitamin C, add some fresh lemon slices and fresh mint leaves.
A pump of peppermint syrup or peppermint extract will also be helpful if you’re extra stuffy.
Other Starbucks copycat recipes to try
Being able to make your favorite drink or snack at home is such a great money saver. Check out these other great Starbucks copycat recipes:
Click here for my entire collection of copycat recipes.
Copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea
Ingredients
- 2 mint tea bags
- 2 peach tea bags
- 4 cups boiling water
- 2 cups lemonade
- 1-2 tablespoons honey to taste
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, place the tea bags and the boiling water. Allow to steep for 5 minutes.
- Steam the lemonade in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove right before it boils. Froth with a milk frother.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to the mug. Pour in the hot tea to fill half of the cup. Finish with the steamed lemonade.
Notes
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for 3-4 days, making sure to remove the tea bags first.
- If you make a pitcher, you can store the pitcher in the refrigerator. Place a piece of saran wrap over the top to keep it fresh, removing the tea bags first.
- To make another drink, warm the tea in the microwave and follow steps 2-3.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!CONNECT WITH PERSNICKETY PLATES!
Follow along on my social media so you never miss a post!
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
I made a fun group on Facebook for sharing recipes, asking questions, and talking about food. I’d love to have you! Request to join HERE.
Also, sign up to receive an email in your inbox for each new recipe:
FREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION & EBOOK
If you MAKE & LOVE this recipe, share it on Instagram and tag me @melissa_pplates and/or #persnicketyplates so I can see it. I LOVE seeing what you make & I’ll share it in my stories!
It is VERY HELPFUL to me and other readers if you leave a review after you make my recipe. Please come back & let me know how it turned out!
I love the idea of making a large batch of this and storing it for a few days. Thank you! When I’m not feeling well the last thing I want to do is follow a recipe.
I meant to leave the stars on my original post!
thanks so much for coming back to do it!
Thank you it’s impossible to buy one in my area right now.
With everyone sick this recipe comes in handy.
Yes, I’m glad it’s helpful!
Thank you!!! Sooo much!