Make Sbiten
During the winter months, everybody craves a delicious hot beverage such as hot chocolate, tea, and cider. But what if you want to try something different? In Russia, Sbiten (Russian, сбитень) is a traditional honey-based beverage consumed during the long winter months. This comforting drink is actually very simple to prepare and tastes a lot like fruity tea.
Contents
Ingredients
Makes 10 servings
- 1/2 cup of pure honey
- 1 tsp of cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 16 ounces (1 lb) blackberry jam
- 10 1/4 cups water (or wine)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 mint leaf (optional)
For alternate recipe 1:
Makes 750 ml, or 1 wine bottle's worth
- 3-1/3 cups water
- 2 cups honey
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 2 dried red chile peppers, optional
- 2 tablespoons apricot or raspberry jam
For alternate recipe 2:
- 3 L water
- 250 g honey
- 350 g molasses
- 5 g mix of spices - cinnamon, malt, cloves, mint
Steps
- Bring 10 1/4 cups of water to a boil.
- Add the ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, honey and homemade blackberry jam and stir gently.
- Turn the heat down to about medium-low and bring it to a simmer. Stir the mixture for 6 minutes then take the pot off the stove.
- Let cool for 2 minutes. Afterward, ladle the hot beverage into 10 mugs.
- Garnish with a homemade mint leaf candy and enjoy!
Alternate Recipe 1
- Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisk occasionally. Mixture will be slightly foamy.
- Serve in small glasses with a cinnamon stick for garnish.
Alternate Recipe 2
- Bring the water to a boil in a pot.
- Melt honey into the water.
- Add all other ingredients.
- Simmer for half an hour.
- Serve.
Tips
- You can make an alcoholic version by substituting a hearty red wine (like Cabernet Sauvignon) for water.
- This is best served hot, but the drink can be refrigerated and served cold in the summer, or reheated for serving later.
Things You'll Need
- Large pot
- Mixing spoon
