Warm up this holiday season with a matcha hot toddy!
Total time: 8 minutes | Yields: 1 cocktail
Hot toddies are warm and easy cocktails perfect for the winter typically made with tea, lemon, honey, and whiskey. In this matcha hot toddy recipe, we are opting to use matcha powder as our tea base, and it’s a clear winner! Our version of a hot toddy is fresh, delectable, packed with antioxidants, and also happens to be beautiful and bright green.
If you already have your ceremonial grade matcha powder, all you really need are 4 VERY common ingredients (one is water!), which likely are already somewhere in your kitchen or easily picked up at the grocery store.
Ingredients you will need:
- 1 tsp Ceremonial Grade Matcha (sifted)
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 tbsp honey
- Juice from ½ a lemon
- 1 ½ oz whiskey
5-Step Directions for matcha hot toddy:
- Sift your matcha powder into a mug, then add your warm water (~170 degrees).
- Take a lemon and cut it in half. Squeeze half of your lemon into your mug along with your matcha powder and warm water.
- Add in your whiskey or alcohol of choice (or skip this step if making a mocktail version)
- Using a normal whisk or an electric frother thoroughly combine all your ingredients. Be sure to mix until all your honey or sweetener is not visible.
- Taste, and if needed, add more lemon juice for extra zing or more honey for added sweetness. Enjoy!
Important tips to keep in mind: Don’t boil your water + choose quality ingredients
Typically, when making tea, you will first boil water. However, matcha requires a gentler process. Using boiling water will burn your matcha powder resulting in a bitter flavor and a loss of some of the incredible health benefits.
You can buy fancy kettles that heat to your desired temperature. We carry an amazing temp-control kettle I am a HUGE fan of right here at matcha.com. But if you don’t own one of these, you can simply boil your water then add some cold water, let your water cool for about 3 minutes, pour your boiling water into another cup to cool it down (rule of thumb: each time you pour water into another vessel you cool it down by ~10 degrees), or keep an eye on your teapot until it begins to steam and pull it off the stove or heat source.
The importance of quality ingredients in your matcha hotty toddy
Quality of ingredients always matters, ESPECIALLY when making simple recipes with only a few ingredients. So let your matcha toddy shine by choosing both high-quality matcha and whiskey.
Matcha: Only buy matcha that originates from Japan and comes in an opaque container. Matcha is easily destroyed by heat and light. It should also be a bright green color- definitely not a dull brown or yellow, which is a sign of poor quality. Matcha has a long list of health benefits and is high in vitamin C, which is especially important for our immune systems. It also contains EGCG, which reduces inflammation and fights pathogens.
Whiskey: We could go down a rabbit hole discussing whiskey, and much of it comes down to personal preference and your budget. We recommend opting for at least a middle-tier alcohol here. Whiskey is a muscle relaxer and overall provides a warming effect. To say that alcohol is a healthy food may be a bit of a stretch, however, 😊.
Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is a must for this recipe. Lemon can help loosen up congestion and is a good vitamin C source. And did we mention the flavor combination of lemon and matcha is a matcha made in heaven.
Honey: Feel free to sweeten to your preference. Honey is known for having healing properties, such as containing antibacterial and antifungal properties, and being high in antioxidants. We recommend buying local honey if you can!
Notes to switch up the recipe and make it your own:
- Make it vegan by swapping out your honey for maple syrup
- Try making a mocktail or non-alcoholic version! Ditch the alcohol. There’s an old wives tale that hot toddies can cure any cold. But it turns out that it might not just be an old wives tale after all, and that’s especially true if you ditch the whiskey and add the matcha powder!
- Try a different liquor. Instead of whiskey, try brandy, dark rum, or even honey whiskey.
- Add spices. You can experiment with adding cinnamon or even a bit of nutmeg or cloves.
- Add a garnish. If you want to make your cocktail really fancy, add ginger, a lemon wedge, apple, clove, or mint garnish.
- Adjust the sweetness. Add more or less honey based on your preference. You can also try swapping honey out for other sweeteners.
How do I make the best matcha hot toddy?
When it comes to making the best matcha hotty toddy, just remember it’s all about personal preference. Consider this recipe a ‘rough guideline’ of a recipe. So don’t be afraid to experiment with different amounts of lemon juice, honey, and matcha powder until your hot toddy makes your taste buds twerk.
How many calories are in a matcha hot toddy?
We estimate this cocktail to be around 150 calories per serving, but keep in mind that this number can fluctuate a lot depending on how much honey or whiskey you may add.
The bottom line:
Can you think of anything more hygge than sipping on a hot toddy made with matcha? Good quality matcha is velvety smooth, earthy and sweet in flavor, and fragrant and an excellent addition to this classically cozy cocktail. Plus, unlike other popular winter drinks such as mulled wine or hard cider, hot toddies are much lighter and not so overwhelmingly sweet.
If you’re getting sick will a matcha toddy be your cure? Likely not, but it’ll surely make you more joyful! It’s also precisely what you need to make it through the cold winter months.
Did you make this recipe?
Show us how your matcha hotty toddy turned out! Feel free to tag us on instagram @Matchakari and share a picture.
Check out more of our savory and sweet recipes using matcha
This post and recipe is By Diana Weil, Matcha.com's Integrative Nutritionist and Food Relationship Specialist.
References:
Duthie, G. G., Pedersen, M. W., Gardner, P. T., Morrice, P. C., Jenkinson, A. M., McPhail, D. B., & Steele, G. M. (1998). The effect of whisky and wine consumption on total phenol content and antioxidant capacity of plasma from healthy volunteers. European journal of clinical nutrition, 52(10), 733–736. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600635
Kochman, J., Jakubczyk, K., Antoniewicz, J., Mruk, H., & Janda, K. (2020). Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(1), 85. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26010085
Miles, E. A., & Calder, P. C. (2021). Effects of Citrus Fruit Juices and Their Bioactive Components on Inflammation and Immunity: A Narrative Review. Frontiers in immunology, 12, 712608. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.712608
Samarghandian, S., Farkhondeh, T., & Samini, F. (2017). Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research. Pharmacognosy research, 9(2), 121–127. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8490.204647
