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Do not confuse this drink with honey, and even more so with mead. Sbiten (sometimes incorrectly called zbitn) is a native Russian drink, which is nothing more than a decoction of spices and herbs, sweetened with honey or sugar (molasses). The first mention of it dates back to 1128. Even then, it was used as a warming drink with anti-inflammatory effects. True, then it was called a little differently – digest, and later vzvar / var.
Recipe for classic sbitnya
Below I give a recipe that I took from one rather authoritative source (still the same V.V. Pokhlebkin, whom I mentioned in the article about grog). Actually, thanks to William, this drink has found a second life.
Recipe for the original Russian (Moscow) sbitnya
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of white molasses;
- 200 g of honey;
- Xnumx buds clove;
- 2 g of cinnamon;
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger;
- 10 peas of black pepper;
- 6-8 cardamom capsules;
- 3 star anise stars;
- 5-6 liters of boiling water.
Preparation:
- dissolve molasses and honey in boiling water (it can be added later, to a chilled liquid up to 40 degrees – so it does not lose its beneficial qualities) and cook for 15 minutes;
- add all the spices and cook for another 10 minutes;
- after, pour hot and drink like tea.
For our ancestors (Eastern Slavs), sbiten was for quite a long time instead of tea. When cheap Chinese tea poured into Russia, they forgot about sbitna. There was a strong decline after the October Revolution, apparently the Bolsheviks were not comfortable drinking folk drinks. Later, already in the days of the USSR, they tried to promote sbiten to the masses already in glass bottles, like beer. The idea, of course, failed – have you ever seen tea rolled up in bottles (cold plastic does not count)? Sbiten is good because it is hot and fresh.
As mentioned earlier, this drink should not be confused with honey. Meda – drinks brewed from honey, water, spices and hops, and then infused, mead beer in general. Sbiten itself is a non-alcoholic product, but if desired, dry red wine or vodka can be added to it. That’s right, you get something similar to mulled wine or the same grog. Below I will provide you with a few simple recipes with which you can easily cook sbiten at home.
Sbitney recipes that have survived to this day
Cooking sbitnya at home does not require any colossal knowledge in moonshine or winemaking. You are only required to strictly follow the recipe (although this is nonsense – experiment without hesitation). In principle, all the ingredients are easy to get at any grocery store. Spices, if possible, take in the bazaar from people of eastern nationality – it is so more reliable. Spicy fees from packages do not roll.
Sbiten spicy
Ingredients:
- 150 town Sahara;
- 150 g of honey;
- 2 piece of bay leaf;
- cloves, ginger and cinnamon to taste;
- 5 g cardamom;
- 1 L of water.
Preparation:
- dissolve honey and sugar in boiling water;
- add all the spices and boil for 15-20 minutes;
- Strain the resulting gelatinous drink through a sieve and serve hot.
Sbiten intoxicated (without infusion)
Ingredients:
- 50 town Sahara;
- 100 grams of honey;
- 0,3 g of cinnamon;
- 0,2 g of cloves;
- Xnumx mint;
- 3 g hops;
- 0,5 L of water.
Preparation is similar to the previous recipe.
City sbiten 6 l
Ingredients:
- 500 g of honey;
- 700 g of white molasses (you can thick sugar syrup);
- 500 spices (mint, hops, cinnamon, cloves);
- 6 L of water.
Preparation:
- throw all the ingredients into boiling water and boil for 30 minutes;
- drink hot, like good old tea.
Sbiten with wine for stronger lovers
Ingredients:
- 150 g of honey;
- 1 liter of dry red wine;
- 2-3 cloves;
- to taste ground cinnamon and nutmeg;
Preparation:
- warm the wine to 70-80 degrees;
- add honey and spices, heat a little, but do not bring to a boil;
- let steep for 30 minutes, then strain and serve hot.
Petrovsky drink (a delicacy of Peter I himself, cold for some reason)
Ingredients:
- 1 liter of bread kvass;
- 2 teaspoons of honey;
- 2-3 tsp of grated horseradish.
Preparation:
- it is advisable to cook kvass on your own, you can even from a concentrate, but not purchased;
- mix kvass with honey and horseradish and leave to infuse for a day;
- this drink is drunk cold, with ice.
Winter is long, so recipes for warming drinks will appear on the Rum Diary for more than one month. As for sbitnya, drink it when you are very cold or feel that you have a cold. You can also use medicinal herbs together with spices: St. John’s wort, mother-stepmother, etc. Just brew them separately, and only then mix with sbitn, prepared according to one of the above recipes. In the summer, drinks can be safely chilled and used as a wonderful remedy for thirst.
Do not disappear, comment on my efforts, there is still a lot of interesting things ahead. I found recipes for unusual warming drinks – about them later (zhzhenka, varenukha, etc.). I will not mention mulled wine and grog – if you are a regular reader of the magazine, then you are perfectly familiar with these drinks (to become such, do not forget to subscribe to updates).