Iced turmeric tea is turmeric and fresh ginger simmered in water with a little black pepper, strained, chilled, and poured over ice with lemon and honey. Simmer it for 10 to 15 minutes, let it cool, and finish each glass with the juice of half a lemon and a spoonful of honey. It’s a bright, citrusy pitcher for summer, and it works as a cozy cold-weather sipper too if you warm a mug of it back up in fall.
Why You Will Love This
This is the iced tea you keep in a jar in the fridge door and reach for instead of a soda. It tastes bright and citrusy, with the warm earthiness of turmeric behind a clean hit of ginger and lemon, and none of the dusty, chalky flavor most cold turmeric drinks end up with. The simmer does the heavy lifting, and the pitcher comes together in about twenty minutes before it goes to chill.
The Story Behind It
Turmeric has been steeped, not stirred, for most of its history. In Ayurvedic kitchens it simmers into turmeric milk, in Okinawa it’s brewed as ukon tea, and across South and Southeast Asia the rhizome goes into hot water long before it goes into anything cold. The iced version is the modern summer take: the same hot extraction, chilled hard and poured over ice.
For years I made turmeric drinks the lazy way, a spoon of powder in cold lemon water, and wondered why they tasted like sediment. Heat turns turmeric from gritty powder into a smooth, warm-tasting tea, and a few grinds of pepper round out the flavor.
What You Will Need
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, or 1 tablespoon grated fresh turmeric
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- A few grinds of black pepper
- 4 cups water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon, per glass
- 1/2 teaspoon raw honey, per glass, more or less to taste
- Ice, lemon slices and a cinnamon stick, to serve
Makes 4 servings. Prep 5 minutes, simmer 15 minutes, plus chilling.
How to Make It
Put the turmeric, ginger, black pepper and water in a pot. Bring it gently to a boil.
Turn the heat down, cover, and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes.
Let the tea cool a little, still covered, then strain through a fine mesh sieve into a jar.
Chill the strained tea in the fridge, covered, until cold.
For each glass, pour the tea over plenty of ice and stir in the juice of half a lemon and about 1/2 teaspoon of honey. Garnish with a few lemon slices and a cinnamon stick. Stir before each pour, since turmeric settles.
Notes on the Ingredients
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) gives the tea its color and its warm, earthy flavor. Fresh root tastes a little brighter and ground turmeric a little deeper, so use what you have and taste as you go.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) plays the supporting role. It adds a clean bite that cuts the earthiness of the turmeric, and the two rhizomes are close cousins. Use fresh if you can. Lemon brightens the glass, and adding it to each glass instead of the pitcher keeps it tasting fresh.
Turmeric stains a wooden spoon, a plastic strainer, and your countertop if you let it sit. Use glass or stainless steel, and wipe spills quickly.
Make It Your Own
For a chai-leaning cup, add a little cinnamon, cardamom or clove to the pot while it simmers. For a creamier version, stir a splash of coconut milk into each glass for an iced turmeric latte. Swap the honey for maple syrup to keep it vegan. For a sparkling turmeric soda, build each glass with two parts chilled tea to one part sparkling water, a little honey, and extra lemon. Keep leftover tea in a covered glass jar in the fridge and add the lemon and honey just before drinking.
