What is Sbiten + 14 recipes for cooking at home

Sbiteni – honey drink, an integral part of East Slavic cuisine. The vast majority of its varieties are non-alcoholic. These include: Stollushinsky sbiten, Belarusian sbiten, Suzdal, sea buckthorn, rye, cranberry and apple sbiten, as well as such exotic drinks as juniper sbiten, cedar sbiten or fir sbiten with ginger, sage and propolis and other prescription variations.

24 recipes for mead

The story of sbitnya

Honey drinks have been known to the Eastern Slavs for centuries. At the same time, unlike intoxicated meads, the ancient Russian sbiten was originally intended not for entertainment, but exclusively for quenching thirst in summer and warming in winter.

The first chronicle mention of such a drink dates back to 1128, and the first old recipe for sbitnya known to us dates back to the XNUMXth century.

By the way, the appearance in Eastern Europe of the prototype of later samovars is connected with its preparation.

The alcoholic version of the drink we are interested in became widespread in the 4th century, when the production of hop honey was in deep decline. Its strength was 7-XNUMX degrees.

Sbiten did not leave the stage until 1917, when he was supplanted by his closest relative – mead.

Today, the alcoholic variety of the ancient Russian drink, although it does not experience an era of rapid renaissance, at the same time feels quite confident.

First of all, because its preparation, as a rule, does not take much time and effort.

As you will soon be able to see, even the most intricate recipe for whipping at home will be very simple to implement.

At the same time, all the varieties mentioned allow the presence of an alcoholic component in the drink.

What is the difference between sbiten and mead

It should be noted that the differences between alcoholic sbiten and mead are rather arbitrary.

Both drinks are often prepared using the same or very similar technologies.

However, there are two fundamental differences between them.

The first of the drinks is prepared without the use of yeast, the second excludes the addition of third-party alcohol.

Sbiten: useful properties

The unconditional benefits of an old drink are due to five important factors:

1. Mandatory presence of honey;

2. The constant presence of spices (classic spicy sbiten, as a rule, contains cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, star anise, black or allspice, etc.);

3. A common practice of using fruits (fruit sbiten can include both fresh fruits and dried fruits, an example of which is prune sbiten);

4. A fairly frequent addition of medicinal herbs (herbal sbiten involves the use of sage, chamomile, St. John’s wort, mint, thyme, galangal, etc.);

5. The traditional use of the drink is hot.

Thus, the East Slavic honey elixir can not only have an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic or tonic effect on the body, and also serve as an indispensable remedy for colds, but with the addition of certain ingredients, it can have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, liver, cardiovascular , nervous and even reproductive systems.

Shelf life

The issue of the shelf life of the drink we are interested in is directly related to its variety.

A simple hot sbiten, in general, does not imply the possibility of any long-term storage. It should be credited within an hour, getting the maximum pleasure from the process.

If we are talking about drinks designed to be consumed cold or for later heating, then they can be stored quite freely throughout the year.

At the same time, the main conditions for preservation are: staying in a cool dark room and being in a glass or wooden container.

Classic recipe for sbitnya

Let’s start with how to make that same honey base that can serve as a self-sufficient drink or a field for further experiments.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the ingredients intended for sbitny should be cooked in two or even several separate containers, after which they should be combined (churned) together.

Ingredients

1. Honey – 300 g

2. Sugar or molasses – 350 g

3. Water – 3 L

4. Spices and herbs – 5-10 g

5. Vodka or brandy or cognac – 500 ml

Method of preparation

1. Boil 0,5 and 2,5 liters of water in two separate pots.

2. Pour spices with boiling water from a smaller container. Add honey and sugar / molasses to a large saucepan, then boil them over low heat for half an hour, stirring constantly and removing the foam.

3. Then strain the spicy infusion and add it to the honey-sugar solution removed from the stove. Add alcohol there, mix everything thoroughly and leave to stretch for 15-20 minutes. Consume hot.

To heighten the effect, you can cook a similar sbiten from fermented honey. And you will get pleasure, and you will not have to throw away a valuable product. At the same time, the alcohol component in such a drink can not be added.

Kumushkin or folk sbiten

Now we will tell you how to make sbiten with the addition of hops.

Ingredients

1. Honey – 1 kg

2. Fresh hops – 20 g

3. Spices and herbs to taste

4. Water – 4 L

Method of preparation

1. Boil in different containers 0,5 and 3,5 liters of water.

2. Pour boiling water from the first container with spices and herbs. Add honey to the second container and cook for 2 hours over low heat, stirring and removing the foam.

3. Add hops and continue to boil for an hour.

4. Remove the liquid from the heat, add the strained infusion to it, mix the result, cool and bottle.

5. Store the drink in the cellar or in the refrigerator. Consume cold or warm.

Monastic sbiten

The name of the drink speaks for itself. Monks who drink just about anything.

Ingredients

1. Honey – 1 kg

2. Fresh hops – 2 tsp

3. Spices and herbs to taste

4. Strong black or green tea – 0,5 cups

5. Water – 3 L

Method of preparation

1. Dissolve honey in water and cook over a fire for 3,5 hours.

2. Put hops in cheesecloth, a large boiled pebble (it is needed as a load), tie it in a knot and put it in a saucepan.

3. We boil honey together with hops for another hour, monitor the water level and add hot water if necessary.

4. We remove the honey from the heat and filter it into a wooden or glass dish. In this case, the container should not be completely filled.

5. We leave the dishes in a warm place to ferment honey. Fermentation usually begins a few days after the hop honey has been boiled.

6. When fermentation stops (stops sizzling), pour half a glass of strongly brewed green tea into it.

7. We filter the liquid several times through a dense fabric and our monastery sbiten is ready.

It is recommended to hold sbiten for a year after cooking.

Sbiten beer

A pleasant refreshing drink served cold.

Ingredients

1. Honey – 100 g

2. Molasses – 100 g

3. Beer – 500 ml

4. Water – 500 ml

5. Mint – 5 g

Method of preparation

1. For 15 minutes, simultaneously brew beer with mint and molasses with honey, sequentially added to boiling water.

2. Next, mix the strained beer with the honey-treacle solution. Leave the resulting drink for an hour at room temperature, then bottle and keep for a week in the refrigerator or cellar.

Classic raspberry sbiten

Raspberry sbiten

Ingredients

1. Water – 3 l

2. Fresh raspberry juice – 500 ml

3. Honey – 1 kg

4. Yeast – 25-30 g yeast

5. Cinnamon – a pinch

Method of preparation

1. Boil water, dissolve honey completely while stirring, add raspberry juice.

2. Cook on low heat for 2 hours, stirring and removing the foam.

3. Remove from heat, let cool until slightly warm.

4. Pour yeast diluted in 100 ml of warm water, stir and cover.

5. Leave for 10-12 hours.

6. Pour into a jar or wooden barrel, put in a cold place for 25-30 days.

7. Pour the finished sbiten into prepared bottles, keep in a cold place in a horizontal position.

Raspberry sbiten with liqueur

Basically, this drink doesn’t have to be raspberry. It all depends on the type of fruit used and the added liqueur.

Ingredients

1. Copper – 150 d

2. Water – 500 ml

3. Raspberry liqueur – 250 ml

4. Raspberry juice – 250 ml

5. Allspice, cloves, ginger – to taste

6. Linden blossom, mint, thyme, St. John’s wort – to taste

Method of preparation

1. Pour boiling water over the herbs and spices. At the same time, boil honey in raspberry juice for 10 minutes.

2. After that, boil it for another 5 minutes with the filling, then mix with strained water and let it brew for half an hour.

Wine sbiten

This recipe will allow you to prepare not mulled wine with honey, but a honey drink flavored with wine.

Ingredients

1. Honey – 500 g

2. Water – 1 L

3. Dry red wine – 1 l

4. Spices – to taste

Method of preparation

1. In separate containers, heat the wine and boil the water.

2. Add spices to the wine and hold the substance for 10 minutes over low heat, without bringing it to a boil.

3. At the same time, add honey to the water and boil the resulting solution for half an hour (this is also done over low heat with constant stirring and removal of foam).

4. Then mix the honey base with strained wine and let the drink brew for 15 minutes.

Juniper sbiten

Ingredients

1. Honey – 100 g

2. Water – 500 ml

3. Juniper berries – 10 pcs.

4. Lemon – 1 pcs.

5. Cayenne pepper – 1 pc.

6. Carnation – 3 pcs.

7. Ginger (root) – 1 cm

8. Star anise – 1 pcs.

Method of preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a suitable container, add lemon juice and zest.

2. Then bring the container to a boil and boil for 30 minutes.

3. Strain and pour into mugs, you can drink the drink immediately.

Important! You can only use the berries of the common juniper, which is often found in the wild. Fruits of other species are considered poisonous and it is better not to experiment with them.

Sbiten with prunes

One of the brightest options for honey sbitnya. The taste will directly depend on the quality of the prunes. Choose good, unprocessed dried fruits.

Ingredients

1. Prunes – 100 g

2. Rosehip – 10 pcs.

3. Carnation – 1 pcs.

4. Water – 1,5 L

5. Honey – 4 Art. l

6. Fresh ginger – 5 g

Method of preparation

1. Rinse the prunes, throw in a pot of water, put on the stove.

2. Break the washed rose hips, add after the prunes.

3. Enter chopped ginger root, add one clove. It’s minimum. If you like the clove flavor, then you can throw up to five stars.

4. Boil all this for about half an hour, but do not let it boil actively, cook over low heat with a slight boil.

5. We turn off the stove and wrap the pan in a warm blanket, imitating a thermos. In the old days, the dishes were placed on a warm stove.

6. We leave for two hours.

7. We stir the sbiten so that the dried fruits give the maximum taste. We filter.

8. You can add more honey or sugar if there is not enough sweetness. Ready!

The drink is universal, you can drink it immediately in a warm form or cool it in the refrigerator.

Homemade sbiten with cranberries

Ingredients

1. Cranberries – 200 g

2. Water – 1 L

3. Honey – 2 Art. l

4. Carnation – 1 bud

5. Nutmeg – a pinch

Method of preparation

1. Pour boiling water over cranberries if the berries are whole. If they are already grated, then just lay them in the pan. Whole berries are also laid, rubbed with a pestle.

2. Add water, you can immediately take boiling water, throw a clove.

3. We put on fire, bring to a boil, boil for a couple of minutes.

4. We insist cranberries for about half an hour.

5. We filter the broth through gauze, carefully squeeze the cranberries.

6. We throw a pinch of nutmeg into the broth.

7. Let the drink cool down to 60 degrees, so as not to destroy the vitamins in honey.

8. Add honey, stir until dissolved.

9. Refrigerate or use warm. If desired, you can add sugar for more sweetness or add a couple of tablespoons of honey.

Sbiten with sea buckthorn and calendula

Ingredients

1. Sea buckthorn berries – 200 g

2. Honey – 150 g

3. Ginger root – 10 g

4. Water – 1,6 L

5. Oregano – 1 tbsp. l.

6. Calendula – 1 tbsp. l.

7. Cloves – 2-3 pcs.

8. Cinnamon – 1-2 sticks

Method of preparation

1. Place the sea buckthorn berries in a saucepan. If they are frozen, thaw a little first. Mash with a crush.

2. Add water to the drink, put on the stove, boil for ten minutes.

3. Add chopped ginger.

4. Fill in all the herbs and spices, you can remove something or add more to your liking. Stir, turn off the stove.

5. Cover the pan, leave for half an hour to make the broth richer.

6. Strain, squeeze the herbal cake with berries.

7. Add honey to the still hot liquid, stir until it is completely dissolved.

Sbiten with mint and apples

If desired, mint can be eliminated or replaced with lemon balm.

Ingredients

1. Apples – 2 pcs.

2. Honey – 150 g of honey;

3. Chopped mint (dry) – 1 tsp.

4. Carnation – 4 pcs.

5. Water – 7 glasses

6. Ginger root – 1 cm

7. Cinnamon – 1 stick

8. Lemon – ½ pc.

Method of preparation

1. Cut the apples into quarters and peel off seeds and hard parts, then put them in a saucepan.

2. Add water and thinly chop the ginger root, add to the total mass.

3. Add mint cloves and cinnamon.

4. Remove some zest and add to the pan.

5. We boil together 15 minutes after boiling water. Let the sbitny stand for the same amount of time.

6. We filter. We introduce liquid honey into the drink and stir it until it dissolves in the total mass.

7. Leftover lemon can be used to decorate the sbitn feed.

Currant sbiten

Ingredients

1. Honey – 1-2 tbsp.

2. Raspberry and currant leaves (dry) – 1 tbsp. l.

3. Water – 500 ml

Method of preparation

Pour currant and raspberry leaves with boiling water and, wrapping the saucepan with a towel, leave for forty to thirty minutes. Strain and add honey.

Ginger-honey sbiten

Ingredients

1. Honey (preferably flower) – 80 g

2. Ginger (root) – 20 g

3. Sugars – 30 g

4. Cover – 1 g

5. Cardamom – 3 g

6. Bay leaf – 1 pcs.

7. Cloves – 1 g

Method of preparation

1. Prepare all ingredients. Pour water over chopped ginger with cinnamon and bay leaf and put on fire.

2. Then add sugar, cardamom and cloves.

3. When water boils, add honey to it.

4. Stir, remove from heat, strain and pour into mugs.

Relevance: 02.07.2018

Tags: other alcohol