My brother introduced me to hot turmeric milk (aka “golden milk”) a few years ago. And I was skeptical. However, I tried it and ultimately did really enjoy the taste. It’s very earthy but slightly sweet, and the spices are just right. It took some experimentation to tweak it to just what I like, and as a chai tea lover the transition to another spiced drink of choice was an easy one. People drink gold milk for a number of reasons, but mostly for claimed health benefits. Some of these include supporting healthy digestion and liver function, heart and brain protection, immune system support, inflammation relief, protection against cancer, among MANY others. I cannot confirm or deny any of these are actually true, but I can tell you that it is a soothing and tasty drink. And hey, why not try something new!

Makes 1 Cup (Can easily be doubled, tripled, etc.)

Recipe by © Alysha Melnyk 2018

Kitchen Tools:

Stovetop

Small Sauce Pan

Liquid Measuring Cup

Whisk

Measuring Spoons

Ingredients:

*Disclaimer – I am including certain brand names of things I use (just because they are personal favorites of mine), but feel free to use whatever brand you like, is the cheapest, is on sale, what you have on hand, etc.*

1 Cup Dairy or Non-Dairy Milk of Choice (I used Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk)

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Turmeric Root (I used Frontier Co-Op Organic Ground Turmeric Root)

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Pure Almond Extract

1/8 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/2 Teaspoon Agave Syrup or Other Natural Sweetener (*Add this to taste – you may want your drink a bit sweeter if it’s your first time having it)

Dash of Black Pepper

Dash of Chili Powder

Dash of Ground Nutmeg

Featured Artists/Products:

Cup by Jeremy Ogusky, Creator of Ogusky Ceramics (based in Jamaica Plan, MA)

Blanket by Hillery Sproatt

Instructions:

1. Pour one cup of milk in small sauce pan and add every ingredient (turmeric, cinnamon, vanilla extract, almond extract, ginger, agave syrup, black pepper, chili powder, and nutmeg), whisk to combine (spices will still look separated – don’t be too concerned with that, since it’s just the nature of the drink).
2. Turn the stovetop on medium heat, and heat the mixture for about 10 minutes (not boiling but slightly simmering), whisking it every so often to combine/meld everything together). From what I have read in my sporadic research, heating it for this amount of time is important because turmeric can tend to be very bitter otherwise.
3. After 10 minutes, remove from heat and let cool slightly to a comfortably warm temperature for drinking.
4. Pour into cup, and also have a spoon on hand (to help stir/incorporate spices that separate before drinking).
5. Enjoy! 🙂