DIY: Honey Lemon Ginger Tea Concentrate

If you step into my room, you’ll immediately notice one thing: I live in a shrine of all things French. You’ll see pictures of me by the Seine, clothes adorned with Breton stripes and yes — even the French flag.

But if you look past my obnoxious obsession with France, in the glass cabinet by my desk, you’ll notice another fixation that steps outside French aesthetic.

Tea.

I love it. There’s green (my personal favorite), black, white, red or herbal — but that’s not even including all of the fruity, herbal accents that can grace a flavor. You may think owning 18 different cartons of tea is a little crazy, but when you drink three cups a day, you have an addiction to satiate.

So in the spirit of flu season and this opportunity for me to talk about how wonderful tea is, my first DIY is honey, lemon and ginger tea concentrate. I chose this recipe for lemon’s Vitamin C, honey’s antibacterial properties and ability to coat your throat, and ginger’s gift of soothing everything from nausea to indigestion. This is the ultimate combo to kick a cold. And hey, if you’re not sick, just drink this tea because it’s easy and delicious.

What you’ll need:
7-8 oz. honey
1 large lemon
Raw ginger root
8-oz. mason jar (or your airtight container of preference)

1. Cut the lemon in half width-wise and save the other half (you can use an entire small lemon, but you won’t have big pretty pieces of lemon.) Keep cutting the lemon in quarter-inch-thick pieces and slice the circles down the center. You’ll want to have eight to 10 semicircles.


2. As for the ginger, peel off the skin and cut the chunk into dime-sized pieces. If you’re new to ginger, cut a teaspoon’s worth. If you’re a worshipper of the spicy root like I am, cut two teaspoons.

3. Throw the lemon and ginger in your jar (or spend 10 minutes arranging it like I did) and pour the honey on top.


4. Pop the jar in the fridge and let the delicate flavors mingle. The longer it sits, the stronger it gets. When you’re ready for tea, just boil a cup of water and drop a big ol’ spoonful of the sweet nectar in your mug. This mixture will last for months in the fridge.

Or if you’re me, it’ll last you a couple of days. Drink up, future tea lovers.