Four Easy Elixirs to Keep You Warm This Winter

Whether you need a way to keep warm or something to relieve an aching throat or sinuses, these easy elixirs are bound to make you feel better. Learn how to make these hot drinks so that you can make them when you need them the most!

In Canada, winter brings so many wonderful things that I look forward to every year. Unless I’m going somewhere, I love being hit by huge snowstorms and digging my way out. Ice skating and skiing hold a special place in my heart, as do long winter walks. I usually focus on the things I like, which makes an otherwise harsh season more bearable, but there are two things I am constantly battling with: keeping warm and staying healthy. These easy elixirs check both boxes, and if you are feeling under the weather, they will help to soothe and perk you up. The best part is that you probably have all of the ingredients you will need!

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KEEPING WARM AND HEALTHY WITH THESE EASY ELIXIRS

KEY INGREDIENTS FOR EASY ELIXIRS

Many of the ingredients found in these easy elixirs are overlapping because of their immune-boosting properties. I encourage you to play around with them to create your own cold combatting concoctions to chase away unwanted winter sickness.

HONEY

Honey is the one ingredient that is found in all four of the recipes below. Raw local honey is best, as it supports the bee population in your area and exposes you to trace amounts of flower pollen (a common allergen).

When it comes to warding off colds, buckwheat honey is my favourite because it is not only higher in antioxidants (like most darker honey), but it boosts the antioxidant value of your blood.

Moreover, honey has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, and it does wonders to soothe a sore throat. I’ve been known to swallow a spoonful of honey when I’m really hurting to do just that. There’s just one major precaution: don’t give honey to children under one, and if you’re pregnant, make sure your honey is pasteurized.

LEMON

Found in three of the four easy elixirs, lemon is a close runner-up. In case you didn’t know, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and is a real immune booster, which is why there is such a clamour for citrus during cold and flu season. Lemons are brimming with vitamin C and their astringent juice does a good job of breaking up mucus.

CINNAMON

Two of the easy elixirs contain cinnamon sticks. Not only does cinnamon taste and smell amazing, but it also has several medicinal properties.

With more antioxidants than garlic (which I don’t include in my recipes, but it is a popular inclusion in healing beverages), cinnamon shouldn’t be overlooked when you’re feeling under the weather.

Cinnamon is a valuable ally in fighting off fungal and bacterial infections. If you can get your hands on it, use ceylon cinnamon. It’s seldom labelled, but cinnamon of the cassia variety is what’s most commonly found in stores and is an inferior product.

CLOVES

While cinnamon takes the crown in the spice world, cloves are also real powerhouses. For a spice, cloves are surprisingly nutritious, and of course, are full of antioxidants. They are also effective in killing bacteria, making them a perfect addition to two of the easy elixirs.

GINGER

I can’t get enough ginger when I’m sick, and fortunately for me, I use it often when I cook, so I always have some on hand. It’s a warming spice that is highly valued during cold and flu season.

Boasting a number of medicinal properties, ginger helps fight infections. I include it in only one of my recipes, but I encourage you to play around with it in your drinks. It’s easiest to work with organic ginger juice, but a small nub of the root will work just as well as long as you crush it to release the juices.

GREEN TEA

I used to see an acupuncturist who encouraged me to make green tea my drink of choice. I listened for about a year until I became a coffee fiend. Thanks, Starbucks. I really need to make the switch back because green tea is the world’s healthiest beverage.

Not only is it full of antioxidants, but green tea can also kill bacteria. I use it in one of the easy elixirs as a substitute for coffee, because when I’m sick, the last thing I want to drink is coffee. Green tea offers that caffeine boost with a slew of other amazing benefits. Read on for the recipe, we’re almost done!

OATS

I use oats in one of the easy elixirs because oats are so darn nutritious. They are so flush with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that it seems silly not to have a drink made with oats! Plus, I love oats. As an aside, did you know that soaking your oats makes them more digestible? For an extra heart-healthy breakfast, check out my fermented steel cut oats recipe.

CARDAMOM

In line with the cinnamon and cloves, cardamom is another one of those antioxidant-rich spices. It’s been shown to have antibacterial effects and may be helpful against infections. It’s one of my favourite spices, which is why I couldn’t resist including a cracked green cardamom pod in one of my easy elixirs. Inside the pod? Cardamom seeds!

CAYENNE PEPPER

The only reason I include cayenne pepper in one of my easy elixirs is that I like how it opens up my sinuses. I have an aunt who’s a singer and if she has a cold, she makes a drink with cayenne to help prime her voice. The pepper opens up the capillaries in the throat and relieves pain. It’s wonderful.

BRANDY

Of all the ingredients, brandy is the least healthy, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going for it. As alcohol, it has anti-bacterial properties to help fight off your winter woes. It will have you feeling warm and relaxed in no time.

THE EASY ELIXIRS

Now that you have a couple of handfuls of ingredients to work with, here are the recipes to get you going. Test them out, play and experiment, and make them your own.

CAYENNE LEMON

While this hot drink won’t be winning a Nobel prize for curing the common cold, your clogged sinuses will melt away, I promise you. This is my first go-to when I feel the hint of a cold coming on, and it couldn’t be simpler. It’s a combination of lemon, cayenne pepper, and raw honey.

LEMON GINGER GREEN TEA

I mentioned it earlier, but when I’m sick, I don’t want to drink coffee. Coffee is a diuretic, and when you’re sick, you’re supposed to be drinking more fluids, not beverages that flush them out. With that being said, caffeine can cut through the grogginess a cold can bring. If you need a gentle boost of energy, try getting it from something that has other immune-boosting ingredients.

OAT TEA

Oat tea is a kid-friendly beverage (unless the child is under one) that will have imbibers feeling better in no time. It’s like a hug in a mug.

Unlike the other winter drinks, this one is simmered on the stovetop for twenty minutes with the oats, cinnamon and cloves infusing the water. Afterward, it is strained (or not) and sweetened with honey to taste.

Sometimes I will add a teaspoon of homemade vanilla extract at the end if I feel so inclined. I tend to make a larger batch of this drink and store it in a mason jar to be consumed throughout the day.

A HOT TODDY

No list of healing winter drinks is complete without some form of hot toddy. At the end of a long day of work–you know, one of those days where you should be staying in to rest, but you go in anyway and infect everyone else–a hot toddy is just the thing to enjoy.

Full of lemon, spices, honey and brandy, it will help soothe and relax you before turning in for a night of rest. It also makes a lovely companion to keep you warm and cozy as you snuggle under the blankets watching reruns of Bewitched.

WATER FOR THE EASY ELIXIRS

By far the most important ingredient of all is the water. Except for the oat tea, I don’t provide specific measurements for the water.

I generally use a 16oz grande mug from Starbucks (about two cups of water) for my drinks. If you favour smaller mugs, I suggest reducing the amount of lemon and honey. Boiling water is fairly easy, but there are several best practices to bear in mind:

• Always fill the kettle with fresh water. Sometimes it's tempting to reuse water from previous boilings, but you don't enjoy drinking from a glass of stale water that's been sitting around for a couple of days, do you? The same rule of thumb applies to your tea kettle.
• Avoid over boiling the water. When the kettle begins to whistle, take it off!
• The converse of the above is true as well: avoid under boiling the water. If the water isn't hot enough, the ingredients won't steep properly.

RELAX AND REST UP!

Once you have your mug in hand, do your best to sit back and relax. Remember to drink lots of water and try getting in some nourishing bone broth to help your body along with the healing process.

Curl up under a cozy blanket and pull out that book you’ve been meaning to read or put on that show you’ve been wanting to watch. A thick pair of socks and a warm shower might also be in order! What’s your favourite way to relax when you’re feeling under the weather? I hope you’ll let me know in the comments below!

SHOP THIS POST

Buckwheat honey

Ceylon cinnamon

Ginger juice

Green cardamom pods

THE RECIPES FOR THE EASY ELIXIRS

LEMON CAYENNE

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1-2 tsp raw honey

boiling water

sprinkle of cayenne pepper

GINGER LEMON GREEN TEA

1 green tea bag

juice of 1/2 lemon

1″ piece of ginger, sliced and crushed OR 1 tsp ginger juice

1-2 tsp raw honey

boiling water

OAT TEA

3 tbsp rolled oats

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

4 cups water

2 tsp honey

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

HOT TODDY

1 oz lemon juice

2 oz brandy (or bourbon)

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

1 green cardamom pod, cracked

1-2 tsp raw honey

boiling water

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARDS FOR THE EASY ELIXIRS

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Love and gratitude,