Citrus and Herb Tonic Recipe (2024)

Just made this and it's lovely. Perfect for a cold, covid recovery, or just a cold winter's night. I found that a 1/4 tonic to 3/4 hot water ratio was just right with a splash of honey.A note of caution: this is a messy recipe and you will get turmeric stains everywhere if you're not careful. Use dishes you don't care about and prepare to scrub them thoroughly to get the stains out.

Absolutely delightful. I couldn’t find lemongrass so I substituted by adding an extra lemon and some mint. Also threw in some fresh turmeric root because I had it on hand. Wish I had this recipe a week ago when I was sick with Omicron!

I don’t have lemongrass so I used 8 or 10 cardamom pods. Delicious sunshine in a mug! I would double the ginger next time.

When I’ve boiled limes in beverages before they’ve lent a bitter flavor, so I always steep them off the heat. Doesn’t seem to happen with lemons or oranges. Did anyone else have that problem?

It’s good cold over ice. A great mocktail

Delicious even though making it did not go as planned with our local grocery not having fresh oregano and lemongrass. I added sage which I did have and that gave the tonic a nice bright woodsy taste. I ended up taking out the citrus early since it started to taste a little bitter for my taste, it was likely the lime. The ginger and sage I let steep for awhile. I’ll try again once I can get my hands on all the ingredients. It probably goes without saying but organic is the way to go on this one!

I did not have lemongrass but I do have a lemon verbena bush in my backyard so used about a cup of it. This is delicious, thank you for the recipe.

Ok I’ll be the one to say it- even if you don’t usually buy organic limes and lemons you should when you’re going to consume the peel or steep it and consume the resulting broth.

While I haven’t tried this, with no lemongrass in the house, this will make a great tonic for winter and allergy season. The lemon will slow sniffles, the lemongrass is a decent anti inflammatory, the rosemary gives the body a great boost to heal, the ginger is very warming and if you sweeten this with honey (sugar would neutralize the anti inflammatory effects of the lemongrass), honey is a great expectorant! This tonic is NOT a substitute for a doctor.

I did not have lemongrass stalks on hand so I threw in some cardamom pods- maybe 8-10? Sunshine in a mug!

I thought I would try this with only Meyer lemons since they’re in season and it seemed easier to use a citrus hybrid instead of 3 different kinds. They worked great, only the slightest (imo pleasant) bitterness. I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end. Really delicious!

Tastes amazing and also makes a great facial steam while the fruit is simmering !

double the ginger

I added a bit of mint to the steeping process. The tonic is lovely.

What Rosemary?

Added basil in place of lemongrass. And some black pepper.

If I may suggest thyme instead of oregano, it has more medicinal properties for sore throat and cough.

The full recipe makes lot for one person! In looking for more ways to enjoy this, I decided to try it in a hot toddy. - 1/2 cup of this tonic, warmed in the microwave- 1/2 T Honey. - 1 1/2 oz Bourbon- About half cup of hot water, didn’t measure. Delicious and soothing on a cool night.

I would love to make this but just can’t go through all the steps and turmeric is messy - instead purchase a lovely Harney & Sons Organic Turneric & Ginger tea that is very similar … I’ve saved the recipe to perhaps attempt sometime but right now it’s beyond me

Didn't have any lemongrass, but a shot of Bourbon was an excellent substitute.

So, so lovely for a warming drink when you’re not feeling well. Easily customizable. The grocery didn’t have lemongrass and I only had dried thyme from a friend’s summer garden, and it’s still really delicious. I added the lime juice at the end to avoid bitterness some others had commented about. I’ll make this again and again.

Delicious! I used slices of peeled orange (didn’t have organic) and opted to add the lime at the steeping step as other commenters suggested. I also used fresh Thai basil instead of oregano and thought it added a really nice flavor.

Nice Enough. I'd make it again. I would use less water in the initial boiling, simmering, steeping phase for more concentrated flavour. I found it was a bit pale. I would also double the turmeric for colour and flavour.Like others I didn't have any oregano on hand - so I substitute some mint. I could have used a bit more. I love the idea of cardamon pods as others have done - sounds fantastic. I think other herbs like rosemary would work well too or even corander seeds.

The store was out of oregano so I used Rosemary & Mint. Perfect for a winter day.

I thought this was lovely. I’m making my second batch right now. It really hits the spot on these cold winter nights when you’re a bit stuffed up and craving something bright and soothing. I usually do about 1/3 tonic, 2/3 water with a generous amount of honey. This time around I added a touch more ginger for a bit of a zing!

This is a wonderful recipe if you want to hydrate with something healthy & comes in handy when under the weather with a cold or chills .It is slightly bitter because of the turmeric spice. I love the taste . Recipe made 3 bottles of tonic. Kept in the fridge to drink over the next 2 weeks. I wonder though why in photo image it shows beautifully the orange and lemon slices but in recipe it states to strain the tonic at the end through a mesh sieve . I followed the recipe.

This is a great tonic. As with a lot of comments already, not easy to find lemongrass in my area. Substituted with 8 whole cloves and also added a couple sprigs of fresh mint leaves. This is simply delicious served with fresh squeezed lemon and honey. Oh, also only used 1 lime. Not bitter at all.

This freezes beautifully in ice cube trays, and makes an amazing cooling summer drink (crushed mint leaves optional) as well! One cube gives you subtly-flavored water, while 2-3 pack more of a punch.

A pinch of ground black pepper will increase the bioavailability of the curcumin in the turmeric making the anti-inflammatory aspects even stronger. (Accord to this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/. Love this tonic.

I love this tonic and make it all the time. I use fresh turmeric as I found that the powdered version just sank to the bottom and had to be stirred to enjoy. I also double the amount of fruit and throw in a grapefruit for good measure. We enjoy it over ice with sparkling water, and add vodka when it’s co*cktail time. I never add sweetener, I love the bitter citrus flavor!