6 Hot Drinks to Beat the Cold

Many people (especially those up North) aren’t too fond of the cold, dark winter months. Sometimes, though, all you need to put a smile on your face is a great book and a hot drink. Grabbing a steamy cup of something delicious will warm your hands, face, and insides.

So bust out your best mugs, because we’ve got a collection of recipes for hot drinks that’ll get you nice and toasty from the inside out. Besides keeping you cozy, these warm beverages offer serious health benefits: helping with digestion, boosting your immune system, and more.

Hot, Healthy, and Delicious Drinks to Help You Weather the Cold

Ginger promotes good digestion, and can relieve discomfort associated with conditions such as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, which are often more troublesome in cold weather. It has antitussive properties which means it can relieve coughing. It's delicious on its own or sweetened with a small amount of honey.

Hot Ginger Tea

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces thinly-sliced ginger root
• 1 cup water
• 1 scoop of Amla Green

Instructions:

1. Boil water and sliced ginger and then strain.
2. Add a scoop of Amla Green.
3. Add honey to taste.

Looking for a way to cut down on calories while keeping your tasty morning beverages? Switch out your regular coffee based latte for a tea based one. You can have all the taste of a latte, but better for you! Don’t forget to serve it up in a fun decorative mug!

Spicy Coconut Tea Tonic

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• dash cayenne
• 1 scoop of Amla Green
• Optional Secret ingredient: One drop pure cinnamon essential oil
• 1 cinnamon stick, for serving

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring all ingredients (except cinnamon essential oil, if using) to a slow simmer.
2. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon essential oil.
4. Strain, if desired, or pour straight into a teacup to sip and enjoy.

Hot lemon water has a subtle flavor but is great for the body. Hot water and lemon are said to flush the liver and kidneys of toxins. It sure sounds like a great way to stay hot and healthy!

Hibiscus Tea Latte

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oat or almond milk
• 1 scoop of Amla Green Hibiscus
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Make the tea using 1 scoop of Amla Green Hibiscus and 1/2 cup water.
2. Add the milk and maple syrup to a small saucepan. Heat the milk to 150°F (measure using a thermometer): this is hot with some small bubbles forming around the outside, but not simmering. The exact temperature is helpful for getting the perfect foam (if you don’t have a thermometer you can approximate).
3. Use a hand frother, whisk, or French press to foam the milk into small, even bubbles. (Pour the tea into a cup. Gently pour the milk and foam into the center of the tea.)

This drink is a combination of immunity boosting powerhouse ingredients that will help soothe inflammation and digestive discomfort. In addition, it will provide anti-bacterial, antimicrobial, and antioxidant protection. It’s perfect to rev up your body’s natural fighting power!

Hot Lemon Tea Infusion

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• Juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 scoop of Amla Green
• pinch red chili powder or cayenne
• pinch coarse sea salt
• pinch raw cane sugar

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a mug and stir well.

Basic tea is nice for warming up, but your winter will feel extra special with this spiced recipe instead. Pineapple and orange juices add zing while cinnamon and cloves give the whole beverage a cozy winter feel.

Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 ounces whiskey
• 1 scoop of Amla Green Decaf
• 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
• 1 lemon round
• 1 cinnamon stick (optional, for garnish)

Instructions:

1. In a teapot or saucepan, bring the water to a simmer. Pour the hot water into a mug.
2. Add the whiskey, Amla Green, honey, and lemon juice. Stir until the honey has disappeared into the hot water.
3. Garnish with a lemon round and cinnamon stick (if using).

Hot Spiced Tea for Two

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 scoops of Amla Green Hibiscus
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/8 cup white sugar
• 1/8 cup pineapple juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Pour water into a pot; add cloves and cinnamon stick.
2. Bring water to a boil; remove from heat.
3. Add Amla Greed to water. Remove and discard cloves and cinnamon sticks.
4. Stir orange juice, sugar, pineapple juice, and lemon juice together in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
5. Cook and stir the juice mixture until the sugar dissolves completely.
6. Pour juice mixture into the spiced tea; serve hot.

Along with keeping your fingers nice and toasty this winter, green tea is an excellent alternative when you find yourself consuming your tenth cup of coffee. With winter being the perfect opportunity for germs to breed, green tea helps to fight off pathogens and boost your immune system.

Page Medically Reviewed and Edited by
Cyrus Khambatta, PhD

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD, is a cofounder of Mastering Diabetes and Amla Green is an internationally recognized nutrition and fitness coach who has been living with type 1 diabetes since 2002. Using an evidence-based approach to nutrition and fitness, he first reduced his own insulin usage by more than 40%, and has educated thousands of people with all forms of diabetes how to reverse insulin resistance using food as medicine. Cyrus earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2003, then earned a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 2012. He is the co-host of the annual Mastering Diabetes Online Summit, a featured speaker at the Plant-Based Nutrition and Healthcare Conference (PBNHC), the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) Conference, Plant Stock, and has been featured on Forks Over Knives, NPR, PBS, KQED, Fast Company, and is the author of the upcoming book Mastering Diabetes.

← Previous Post Next Post →