How To Make An Easy, Cold-Soothing Ginger Tea

(Photo: iStock)

Everywhere I turn I’m encountering one cold-riddled person after another.

Here in the Chatelaine Kitchen, we have our own way to soothe cold and flu symptoms, courtesy of our former senior associate food editor, Carolyn Lim Chua. We swear by her homemade ginger tea recipe made with just a few simple ingredients: ginger, brown sugar or honey, and water.

I don’t claim that a mug of this tea will have you feeling 100 percent, but its spiciness is surprisingly soothing, and I’m bowled over by just how fuzzy and warm I feel after drinking this. I prefer to drink mine without the sugar because I like the intense zing of the ginger (no pain, no gain right?), but a little honey or brown sugar will take the edge off if you prefer a smoother beverage.

While Carolyn’s Ginger Tea might not provide a cure-all solution, it may just inject some vigour into your gloom.

Carolyn’s Ginger Tea Recipe

• Pour 4 cups of water into a medium saucepan.
• Add 1 cup of peeled, sliced ginger.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 min.
• Remove from heat and stir in 1 or 2 tbsp of brown sugar or honey, if desired. Serve hot.

Originally published in 2019; updated in 2024.