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Copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball Recipe

02/27/2019 By Charlene 7 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.

Starbucks Medicine Ball Recipe posted on MyFrugalAdventures.com

 

It has been so dreary and awful in California this winter with no end in sight to the rain…  My family has been very fortunate to have avoided the winter illnesses thus far but I have had a few mornings where I’ve woken up with a bit of a scratchy throat or just feeling sluggish and tired.

On those days, I always make a beeline for Starbucks to pick up a Medicine Ball drink (officially called a Citrus Defender on the Starbucks app.)

This drink is so comforting and delicious and always makes me feel better.  If you have tried a Medicine Ball, you might love it as much as I do.  If you haven’t tried it, be warned.  This drink is addicting.

Copycat Starbucks Citrus Defender recipe posted on My Frugal Adventures.com

It is incredibly simple to make right at home and the flavor is pretty darn close to what you get at Starbucks.  This drink was a cult favorite at Starbucks for years before they officially added it to the menu and they have released the recipe a few times so it is really simple to duplicate.

Here is what you need:

  • Lemonade
  • Peach tea of your choice (Starbucks uses Teavana Peach Tranquility)
  • Mint or Citrus Mint tea (Starbucks uses Jade Citrus Mint)
  • Honey

And to make this tea couldn’t be easier.  Start with equal parts lemonade and water.  My favorite mug is 16oz so I used one cup of each.  For a smaller mug, you probably want to use 1/2 cup lemonade and 1/2 cup water.  Add both liquids to a pot over high heat, just as the liquid starts to boil, remove from heat and pour into your mug.  Add one teabag of each flavor and allow to steep for a few minutes.  Drizzle honey to taste (about 1 teaspoon- 1 tablespoon) depending on your sweetness preference.

The only thing this drink is missing is the pump of peppermint that Starbucks uses.  You can add a drop of Peppermint extract or you can purchase the Starbucks peppermint coffee syrup.  I personally don’t care for the peppermint syrup so I always omit it from my drink.

A few tiny flavor notes, you can certainly skip the lemonade and instead use fresh lemon juice. I don’t find this drink to be especially sweet but if you want to really reduce the sugar, that would be a great option.

I have a hard time finding the exact teas (my Target is often out of stock on the Jade Citrus) so any brand will do.  I have tried Tazo Refresh Mint which gets you close to the correct flavor but the Teavana has an extra zip of citrus that I really think adds a lot to this drink.

And there you have it.  The easiest and most comforting drink for winter.  Even if you aren’t a tea drinker, I bet you love the Medicine Ball.

Recipe for Starbucks Medicine Ball from My Frugal Adventures.com. The perfect at home cold and flu relief.

And here are a few other drinks from Starbucks you can make right at home:

Copycat Starbucks Hot Chocolate 

Passion Tea Lemonade

Caramel Apple Cider Recipe 

 

 

Filed Under: Beverages Tagged With: copycat medicine ball recipe, copycat starbucks citrus defender recipe

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Comments

  1. aportier says

    11/13/2019 at 11:34 AM

    I love the Medicine Bomb! I have lived on the stuff for the past 2 weeks! I have been using Celestial Seasonings Teas. Their peppermint has the right ZING to it and you don’t need additional peppermint extract or syrup. Here is another version of the Medicine Ball:

    1 Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger Tea Bag
    1 Celestial Seasonings Peppermint Tea Bag
    Honey

  2. Charlene says

    11/13/2019 at 11:36 AM

    Thanks for the alternate suggestions A. Sometimes it is tricky finding the exact tea they use… 🙂

  3. Haley says

    12/02/2019 at 8:12 PM

    As a barista at starbucks the Citrus Defender is made with defense tea. The medicine ball is a Honey Citrus Mint

  4. Tracy says

    01/23/2020 at 10:01 AM

    It’s called Honey Citrus Mint. The Citrus Defender has way to ginger for me. I use Walmart brand lemonade and get my Teavanna tea at Walmart or Target. Half hot water and half lemonade heated up. Honey to your liking and I buy the peppermint syrup from Starbucks and add 7 pumps and it’s perfect on cold days.

  5. Charlene says

    01/23/2020 at 10:09 AM

    Hi Haley- this drink was called a Medicine Ball for ages when it wasn’t on the menu. Once they added it to the menu, they named it “Honey Citrus Mint” as you said. It is the same thing but more popularly referred to as a medicine ball- you can see from the menu here it is basically the exact recipe I outlined:

    https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2122274/hot?parent=%2Fdrinks%2Fhot-teas%2Fgreen-teas

    They do have a defense tea but I personally don’t care for the flavor. I have had baristas give me that by mistake before.

  6. Charlene says

    01/23/2020 at 10:10 AM

    Hi Tracy- yes I believe that is pretty close to the recipe I mentioned in the post. I think I even linked the tea from Target. 🙂

  7. Brittney says

    12/05/2022 at 9:58 AM

    I’m late to this post but I’m wondering how minty the jade tea is? My husband grabbed me this from Starbucks the other day but they either put way too much peppermint syrup or the right amount and it was too much I have the teavana peach tea but worry adding the mint tea it would be overpowering? Thanks in advance for any thoughts you have!

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I'm Charlene- thank you for stopping by MY FRUGAL ADVENTURES! I am a Mom to two little girls living in gorgeous Northern California. This is a fun place to find simple & affordable inspiration for everything from gifts to home improvement to travel to children's crafts to what's for dinner tonight! READ MORE >>>

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