Mulled wine in Russian, vzvar, perevar - this is the name of this wonderful drink, the roots of which go back ten centuries into the past. Sbiten, namely under this name it is known now, was the most common drink in Russia.

AT the composition of the mix included honey or sugar, a decoction of medicinal herbs with the addition of various spices. Therefore, it is not surprising that this drink warmed in the cold, gave the body strength and protected from diseases.

Name"Sbiten" probably comes from the word "churn", which indicates the method of preparation of the drink. Separately, they made a decoction of medicinal herbs with spices, and then mixed it with honey.

They drank sbiten both hot and cold. It is alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Read also:

How to make a sbiten?

After the October Revolution, the mass use of sbitnya came to naught, but now it is gaining popularity again. How to make this old, but still healthy and tasty drink at home?

Cooking sbitnya at home

Recipe 1

Compound:

• Water - 500 ml
• Honey - 100-140 grams
• Pouring - 1 glass
• Spices: cloves, pepper, ginger
• Herbs: mint, St. John's wort, thyme, linden flowers

Heat water, put honey there, cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Add the liqueur and boil for 5 minutes, then herbs and spices. Cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat, cover with a lid, leave for 20-30 minutes. Strain.

Recipe 2

To prepare a drink you will need:

• Water - 750 ml
• Honey - 250 grams
• Medicinal herbs (St. John's wort, mint, sage, thyme) - 40 grams
• Spices (cinnamon, ginger root, cloves) - 5 grams

Mix honey in boiling water until it dissolves. Leave at a temperature of 18-25 degrees for a day to brew. Pour into a clay pot and simmer for about 2 hours. Add herbs and spices 15-20 minutes before the end of cooking.

Recipe 3

Ingredients:

• Water - 2.5 l
• Honey - 250 grams
• Strawberry juice - 250 ml
• Mint herb - 1 tablespoon
• St. John's wort - 0.5 teaspoon
• Sage herb - 1 teaspoon

Boil the water, pour in the strawberry juice and bring to a boil again. Add honey, mint, St. John's wort and sage. Boil 1 hour. Remove foam from time to time.

Recipe 4

Compound:

• Water - 1l
• Sugar - 100 grams
• Honey - 200 grams
• Cinnamon - 0.6 grams
• Hops - 6 grams
• Dried mint - 0.4 grams
• Cloves - 0.4 grams

boil water, add honey and sugar, stir. Add herbs and spices and cook for 20-30 minutes. Strain, serve hot.

Recipe 5

Would need:

• White molasses - 50 grams
• Honey - 50 grams
• Water - 250 ml
• Beer - 250 ml
• Dried mint - 0.5 teaspoon

Mix water and beer, bring to a boil. Add mint and molasses, boil for 10-15 minutes. Put honey, boil for a few more minutes. Let it brew for 1 hour. When cool, refrigerate for a week. Sbiten is ready.

Recipe 6

Ingredients:

• Water - 1.5 l
• Honey - 150 grams
• Sugar - 100 grams
• St. John's wort - 2 teaspoons
• Ground cloves - 1.5 teaspoons
• Black peppercorns - 5 pcs.
• Ground ginger - 0.5 teaspoon
• Ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
• Dried mint - 1.5 teaspoons
• Dried thyme - 0.5 teaspoon
• Cardamom - 0.5 teaspoon
• Lemon - 1 pc.

Take 2 cups of water, add honey, dissolve it and boil. Remove foam from time to time. Add sugar and cook until a homogeneous consistency comes out.

Bring the rest of the water to a boil in a saucepan, add herbs and spices, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes. Infuse for 10-15 minutes, strain, mix with honey mass. Serve hot with sliced ​​lemon slices.

Recipe 7

Would need:

• Honey - 75 grams
• Dry red wine - 0.5 l
• Carnation - 1-2 pcs.
• Ground cinnamon - to taste
• Nutmeg - to taste

Pour the wine into a saucepan, heat to 70-80 degrees. Add honey and spices, heat, but do not boil. Leave for 40 minutes, then strain. Serve hot.

So, sbiten is an ancient Russian drink, which was used not only as a sweet treat, but also for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. Due to its restorative qualities, it is useful to take sbiten when it is very cold or with a cold, as well as in winter to strengthen the immune system.

There are a lot of recipes for making sbitnya, so everyone will find one that suits him personally. In summer, the drink can be safely cooled and used as a wonderful remedy for thirst.

Sbiten is the healthiest alternative to tea - a drink designed to quench thirst and treat various ailments. Alcoholic (from 4 to 7%) or non-alcoholic, sbiten contains only natural ingredients that make it concentrated, knocked down.

Zbiten, as it was also called in the old days, has a bright taste with viscous sweet notes of honey and a rich aroma of spices and herbs.

They drink sbiten cold - to refresh themselves in the heat and after a bath, hot - to keep warm and not get sick in the winter cold.

Story

Sbiten was first mentioned in the annals of the Eastern Slavs dating back to 1128, and its first recipe dates back to the 16th century. Sbiten was not a "cheerful" drink, they drank it instead of tea, knocking down (combining) the components in a samovar. Alcoholic versions of the drink appeared only in the 18th century, but after the 1917 revolution, it practically ceased to be used. At the end of the 20th century in Russia, there were attempts to revive the production of an undeservedly forgotten drink, but it has not experienced a renaissance to this day. But in vain - its benefits for the body are endless, and an unimaginable number of recipes allows you to create a sbiten for every taste, including at home.

What is sbiten made of?

Mandatory components are pure water and natural honey. Herbs and spices are also part of the drink, but they vary according to taste.

For example, you can add sage, red pepper, St. John's wort, bay leaves and ginger powder to sbiten. Undoubtedly, thyme, oregano, mint and lemon balm, strawberry, currant and raspberry leaves will ennoble the taste of the drink and enhance its benefits. Experimenters introduce fruit and berry juices, including citrus fruits, into the composition.

Sbiten: benefits

If you break this drink into components, it becomes clear that it is not only an elixir of youth, but also of health and longevity.

Due to honey, herbs, spices and fruit and berry fillers, sbiten improves immunity, normalizes blood pressure and glucose levels, strengthens blood vessels and removes toxins. It perfectly fights inflammation in the body and restores strength. In addition, the drink is the best remedy for colds, it easily warms or refreshes the body, fortifies it, and also stimulates the reproductive system and relieves prostatitis. In the end - it is incredibly delicious!

Sbiten should not be used only by those who are allergic to any of its components.

Differences between sbitnya and mead

Despite the fact that the basis of both drinks is honey, they have fundamental differences. So, mead is prepared without using yeast, and sbiten is prepared without introducing other alcohol into the composition.

How to store sbiten

A hot drink is not stored, it must be drunk within an hour.

Cold sbiten, which can be reheated later, is stored for up to a year. But keep in mind that you need to store it in glass, placing it in a cool room without access to light.

Attention!
When preparing sbiten yourself, keep in mind that this is a rather sweet drink, so if sugar (white molasses) is found in the recipes, and you are not a big fan of sweets, then reduce its amount, or completely eliminate it - honey will already give you the necessary sweetness.

The second point, which is endlessly debated, is whether it is possible to heat or boil honey. For centuries, preparing sbiten, people boiled honey, water and spices and were healthy and happy. But if you are against this, then prepare a drink using a different technology, more modern. To do this, all components except honey are brought to a boil, simmered for 12-15 minutes, cooled to 40 ° C and mixed with honey. In both cases, the main thing is to enjoy both the process and the finished drink.

Sbiten honey

This is a non-alcoholic version of the drink that can be prepared in 2 ways.

Prepare:

• natural bee honey - 200 gr.
• purified water - 1 liter
• cinnamon (in powder) - 1 tsp
• ginger (in powder) - 0.5 tsp
• cloves - 2 buds
• anise - 1/3 tsp
• pepper (in peas) - 2-5 pieces
• cardamom - 1/3 tsp

You need to prepare like this:

In the old days, all the components were combined and, after boiling, they languished for another 15-17 minutes. They removed the foam and, after languishing, insisted for another half hour.

Nowadays, many say that honey does not like heating above 40 ° C. If you think the same, then you can do this: dilute honey in a glass of water that has already boiled and cooled down, boil herbs and spices in the rest of the water (about 15 minutes after boiling). Then cool the broth to 40 ° C and combine with a solution of honey. Keep the resulting sbiten on fire for several minutes, avoiding heating above 40-45 ° C (an induction cooker that can maintain the set temperature will help you with this).

You need to drink such sbiten hot. Its daily use will improve health, relieve colds and increase potency.

Sbiten "Russian mulled wine"

This drink contains alcohol, the percentage of which directly depends on the strength of the wine that you take for the recipe.

Prepare:

• red wine (dry) - 1 liter
• cloves - 1-5 buds
• cinnamon - a pinch
• nutmeg - pinch

You need to prepare like this:

Dissolve honey in wine, add cloves (to taste), wait until the composition starts to boil, but do not boil it.

Add nutmeg and cinnamon powders to sbiten, remove from heat and, covered with a lid, leave for 20-30 minutes. Strain, reheat if necessary, and enjoy!

Sbiten monastery

This drink is the oldest and has several options - one of them is intended for storage, the other is for drinking hot, the third is cold.

A) Monastery sbiten for storage

Prepare:

• honey bee natural - 1 kilo
• strong brewed tea (green) - 100 ml
• purified water - 3 liters
• fresh hops - 10 gr. (two tsp)

You need to prepare like this:

1. Dissolve honey in water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a minimum and simmer the liquid for 3 hours 30 minutes, removing the white foam.
2. Tie the hops into a piece of gauze along with some kind of load (for example, a pre-boiled stone). Dip the bag in honey and simmer for another hour.
3. Next, remove the honey liquid from the fire, take out a bag of hops and leave it to ferment in a warm, dark place.
4. When the wort has fermented, freshly brewed strong but cooled tea should be poured into it, strained and poured into sterile bottles.

This sbiten is stored in a cellar or basement - where it is cool and there is no light. The drink acquires the best taste after 6-8 months of storage.

B) Monastic sbiten is hot

Prepare:

• honey bee natural - 150 gr.
• white molasses or sugar - 100 gr.
• purified water - 2 liters
• lemon - 0.5 pieces
• ginger (in powder) - 1/4 tsp
• cinnamon (in powder) - 1 tsp
• pepper (in peas) - 2-6 pieces
• cloves - 2 buds
• cardamom - 1/2 tsp
• thyme - 1/2 tsp
• mint (leaves) - 2 tsp
• St. John's wort (dry) - 3 tsp

You need to prepare like this:

1. Dissolve honey and sugar in ¼ of water, wait for it to boil, removing the foam cap during the cooking process, and then simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.
2. We lower the spices and herbs into the remaining water, bring to a boil and also simmer with low heat for about 18-20 minutes. Next, remove from heat and insist another 15 minutes.
3. We pass both liquids through gauze folded into 2-3 radii and combine.
4. We heat the resulting sbiten for a couple of minutes, but do not let it boil.

You need to drink this elixir of longevity only when it is hot.

C) Monastic sbiten is cold

Prepare:

• honey bee natural - 250 gr.
• water - 1 liter
• hops - 5 gr. (1 tsp)
• spices and herbs (cinnamon, cloves, pepper, cardamom, lavrushka, mint) - a pinch (to taste and desire)

You need to prepare like this:

1. Bring water to a boil and dissolve honey in it and add spices.
2. We simmer the composition with low heat, not letting it boil for about 3 hours, remove from heat, cool and filter.

Drinking such sbiten is cold. It is incomparable in the heat and after the bath.

Prepare:

• natural bee honey - 4 tbsp.
• cranberries - 1 cup
• purified water - 0.8 - 0.9 liters
• cloves - 2 buds
• cinnamon (in sticks) - 1 pc.
• nutmeg - pinch

You need to prepare like this:

1. Squeeze juice from cranberries.
2. Mix pomace with spices and pour water, wait for boiling. Next, the composition should be darkened for 13-15 minutes with low heat, slightly cooled (up to 40 ° C) and filtered.
3. Dissolve honey in the broth and insist overnight (4-5 hours) in the refrigerator.
4. Before drinking cranberry sbiten, fresh cranberry juice is added to it and, if desired, heated (not higher than 40 ° C).

This drink can be prepared even easier - just put all the ingredients in a blender bowl, beat and let it brew for a couple of hours. Next, the sbiten must be filtered and, if desired, heated to 40 ° C.

In addition, according to this recipe (regardless of the method of preparation), sbiten easily turns into an alcoholic drink - just pour 200 ml of red wine or 100 liters of strong alcohol, such as rum or cognac, into the finished drink.

Sbiten (zbiten) - an ancient honey drink popular in Russia, the composition, in addition to honey, includes water, spices, medicinal herbs were added to some recipes. For example, folk sbiten consists of peony, nettle leaves, chamomile flowers, plantain, hazel leaves, fireweed and mint. Sbiten was made hot and cold. Hot had a warming and anti-cold property, so it was mainly consumed in cold weather, in addition, the drink brings great benefits to the body. They drank cold sbiten to quench their thirst in the summer heat.

In Russia, in ancient times, the most popular was honey hot sbiten. It was prepared at home, made in taverns, traded at fairs and bazaars in bottling, drank everywhere at holidays and festivities. The hut where the drink was prepared was called - Knocked down chicken. Sbitna was first mentioned in the chronicles as early as 1128, the drink received its peak of popularity during the time of Peter the Great. Foreigners compared the Russian hot drink with mulled wine. In the 19th century, the drink was consumed instead of tea and coffee.

They carried hot sbiten in special copper vessels similar to modern samovars, they were called sakla or baklaga. They poured and drank it also in special cups with convex walls to avoid burns. They drank honey sbiten with gingerbread and other pastries. A huge number of various recipes for preparing sbitnya have come down to our time. Making a honey drink at home is easy. Sbitni are custard and plain, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Custard is prepared by fermenting honey wort with additives from various spices and spices, it turns out a slightly alcoholic drink that resembles mead or mash.

Classic recipe for sbitnya

Nowadays, the old recipe for a real Russian (Moscow) sbitnya with ginger is reborn, the drink has gained great popularity, they are treated to it on holidays (Shrovetide, Christmas), it is quite simple to make it yourself at home.

Ingredients:

• Water - 6 l;
• White (starch) molasses - 1 l;
• Honey - 200 gr;
• Cinnamon - 2 gr;
• Black pepper - 10 pcs;
• Cardamom - 7 pcs;
• Ginger - 2 tsp;
• Star anise - 3 pcs;
• Carnation - 5 pcs.

Cooking:

1. Heat water to a boil in an enamel bowl, add honey and molasses. Stir the contents and cook, stirring over low heat, honey full for 10-15 minutes.
2. Place all spices and spices in a bowl, cook with them for another 10-15 minutes;
3. Pour into cups, serve with cookies or other pastries.

Alcoholic sbiten with dry wine

Compound:

• Honey - 100 gr;
• Red dry wine - 500 ml;
• Carnation - 1-2 pieces;
• Nutmeg - on the tip of a knife
• Cinnamon - 2-3 gr.

Cooking method:

1. Heat the wine to 75°C;
2. Add honey, spices. Stir thoroughly until honey dissolves.
3. Infuse for half an hour, strain through a gauze filter.
4. Pour into glasses, serve.

Kumushkin sbiten with hops

Compound:

• Honey - 1 kg;
• Water - 4l;
• Pharmaceutical hops - 20 gr;
• Cinnamon - to taste.

Sbitnya preparation:

1. Heat water, add honey, hop cones and spices. Cook on low power for 2-3 hours.
2. Strain the hoppy honey sbiten, let cool. Drink chilled.

Hot gingerbread

Ingredients:

• Water - 2l;
• honey -300 gr;
• granulated sugar - 300 gr;
• cloves - 6-7 pcs;
• cinnamon - 10 gr;
• ginger - 10 gr.

Cooking method:

Add honey with sugar to warm water, add cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Heat up and cook for 10-15 minutes. The foam formed during boiling must be removed. Strain honey sbiten through a fine sieve, serve with cookies.

Recipe - Shrovetide sbiten with herbs

Ingredients:

• Honey - 300 gr;
• Water - 3 l;
• Sugar sand - 200 gr;
• St. John's wort (dry) - 5 tsp;
• Dried mint - 3-4 tsp.
• Oregano - 3 tsp;
• Carnation - 4 pcs;
• Black peppercorns - 10 pcs;
• Dried ginger - 0.5 tsp;
• Ground cinnamon - 1-2 tsp:

Recipe preparation method:

1. In 0.5 liters, heat honey to a boil, removing the foam.
2. Boil sugar in about 5 liters of water.
3. Combine honey and sugar water, cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Add spices and fragrant herbs to the remaining water, cook for 15 minutes.
5. Fragrant broth, strain, add to sugar-honey syrup, slightly warm.
6. Pour into cups and serve hot.

Video recipe how to make folk sbiten

raspberry custard recipe

Ingredients:

• Honey - 500 gr;,
• Fresh raspberries - 500 gr;
• Water - 1.5 l;
• Yeast - 1 tsp

Cooking:

1. Rinse raspberries with water. Squeeze juice from berries.
2. Pour raspberry squeezes with water, boil, then cool and strain through a sieve.
3. Add honey, boil again and pour in the squeezed raspberry juice.
4. Cool honey-raspberry broth to 30 degrees. Add prepared yeast.
5. Put the dishes for 9-11 hours in heat for fermentation.
6. Pour into suitable bottles, close well and store in a cool place. After two or three weeks, raspberry sbiten can be tasted.

Suzdal spicy sbitny recipe

Compound:

• Water - 2l;
• Honey - 300 gr;
• Sugar sand - 300 gr;
• Bay leaf - 30 gr;
• Spices: ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon - 30 gr.

Cooking:

1. Heat water, add honey and cook for 20-25 minutes.
2. Put spices and lavrushka, cook for another 5-10 minutes.
3. Strain the broth, pour into glasses.

The benefits and harms of honey whipping

Sbiten folk has many useful properties. It contains a bunch of vitamins of groups (A, B, PP, C, E, H). Only one honey in the recipe makes the drink already healthy. It is an antiviral, anti-inflammatory agent, it helps well with prostatitis. Sbiten folk increases male strength, has a warming, tonic effect. A cold drink quenches thirst well and restores the energy of the body. Sbiten, due to the presence of honey, helps restore energy, protects against viruses.

Like any other product, besides the benefits, honey sbiten has some contraindications. First of all, an allergic reaction to some components of the drink (honey, herbs, spices). Alcoholic drinks are contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women. Also, the drink can be harmful to people with diabetes and kidney and liver diseases.

Sbiten is an unusual drink. And even if you have not had a chance to taste it yet, then you have heard the name for sure. True, most of our contemporaries still have a rather vague idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthis drink, and most often do not know how to cook sbiten with their own hands at home. But the recipe for sbitnya was invented in Russia. And for several centuries, it was the most popular honey drink.

Among the huge variety of honey drinks that Russia has been famous for since time immemorial, it is easy to get confused. After all, honey is the most popular product in those days. He was certainly present in any home, regardless of status and social position. But sbiten - a primordially Russian drink in the form of a hot decoction of hot, spicy spices, aromatic herbs and roots sweetened with honey - cannot be confused with other honeys or with.

It is prepared, unlike the same mead, quickly. And his numerous recipes with the ability to combine and combine quite affordable ingredients in different proportions allow you to cook real, healthy and tasty sbiten at home with your own hands.

Information about it can be found already in the annals of the 12th century, in which sbiten is mentioned as a warming drink, called at first a digest. Somewhat later, it began to be called a vzvar, a var, and after some time it received the name we now know - sbiten.

As follows from the primary sources, they drank this non-alcoholic drink several times a day, hot as tea. In fact, sbiten fully performed the functions of the now popular tea and coffee, which gradually (completely after the revolution of 1917) replaced sbiten, like other honey drinks.

By the way, according to historians, such an obligatory attribute of the tea ceremony in the Russian state as the famous samovar also appeared at the time of the popularity of sbitnya. It was, of course, not an exact copy of the sbitennik, but its design is based on the same principle with a heating element and a pipe.

But until the end, useful and tasty was not forgotten. Nowadays, in the wake of the increased interest in wholesome and healthy nutrition, they remembered the healing properties of a honey drink, which in many respects surpass the same tea or coffee. And remembering, they began to make attempts to find old recipes and revive the Russian tradition of eating sbitnya.

Read also: What is Old Russian sbiten and how was it prepared in Russia?

How was an old hot drink prepared in Russia?

Honey, spices and water were used to cook sbitnya. The quantity and composition of the ingredients were constantly changing (it depended on the recipe). Only honey was the unchanging and constant product. And the most popular additives in Russia were St. John's wort, mint, sage, ginger, capsicum, bay leaf, cinnamon and coriander.

Basically, sbiten was prepared in several ways: simple and custard.

With a simple method, honey was boiled separately: after stirring it in water, it was brought to a boil. In another vessel, a hot decoction of spices and herbs was prepared. And then everything was whipped (mixed) together. Spices and spices that were brought from distant countries, especially at first, were replaced by domestic spicy plants, such as angelica, calamus, elecampane, lemon balm and thyme.

There is also a simplified version of this method: all the ingredients were mixed at once, boiled for 15-20 minutes and insisted.

With the custard method, a fermentation process occurs, and according to the recipe, in addition to the main ingredients, hop cones are added (it turns out hoppy sbiten with a special characteristic taste) and yeast.

Traditional sbiten is still a non-alcoholic drink. But when cooking at home, for a variety of taste, it was allowed to add berry and fruit juices, sweet syrup, vodka or dry red wine to it.

Many recipes traditionally involve boiling honey. To preserve the beneficial properties of the honey product, you can do the following: put it in a ready-made broth with herbs and spices, cooled to 40 ° C.

Recipes for making sbitnya at home

Having become acquainted with the basic cooking techniques, if you also have an unbearable desire to cook sbiten at home, you can safely get down to business. This is almost the same as, for example, making mulled wine (a very popular drink today). The technology of their preparation is very similar. The only difference is that mulled wine is always an alcoholic drink.

Read also: Cranberry sbiten: recipe and useful properties of the drink

At home, you can cook for yourself and your loved ones and an intoxicating version, and make a delicious non-alcoholic drink for children, without any special knowledge in winemaking or home brewing. All ingredients are available. It remains only to follow the recipe. Although this is not necessary. Experimentation and creativity are encouraged.

Classic sbitny recipe

• Honey - 500 g
• A mixture of spices (cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom) - 10 g
• Water - 1.5 l
• Herbs (mint, St. John's wort, sage, oregano) - 80 g

Boil honey in a liter of water so that part of the liquid evaporates. Separately, boil the spices and herbs in the remaining liquid for 15 minutes and let it brew a little. Combine liquid from two containers and heat slightly.

Slavic sbiten

• Water - 1 l
• Cinnamon - 1 tsp
• Honey - 50 g
• Collection of herbs (mint, lemon balm, oregano) - a sprig of each
• Hops - 3 g

Add spices and honey to boiling water. 15 minutes cook. We insist half an hour. We drink hot.

Sbiten is festive

This variant of a sweeter and spicier drink was drunk on major holidays.

• Water - 1.5 l
• Yeast - 50 g
• Honey - 500 g
• Cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, pepper

Boil honey by stirring in water. Boil again with spices. Add yeast to chilled drink. Bottling, keep warm for 12-14 hours. And then clean in the cold for ripening for 14-21 days. Cranberry juice (500 ml) can be added to the finished drink before drinking. Warm up before use.

Fruit sbiten for children

• Water - 7.5 l
• Honey - 2 kg
• Any juice, you can mix juices (strawberry, raspberry, currant) - 1 l

According to this recipe, all the ingredients are boiled over low heat, removing the foam, for two hours. After cooling and straining the drink, it is consumed immediately.

Sbiten is a fragrant and warming old Russian drink. Currently, it is cooked less and less, but several centuries ago, sbitnem was often warmed up on cold days. Almost every family knew how to cook it, and many even had their own secret of making a drink. Today, sbitnya recipes are available to any hostess.

Sbiten: what is it?

Sbiten (or, as it used to be called, “zbiten”) is a traditional Russian drink. Its name comes from the verb "churn", since the basis of its preparation was churning. The drink was served hot, it included pure water and bee honey, with the addition of various spices and medicinal herbs, it was brewed in large samovars. Until the end of the 19th century. peasants and noble families drank this drink instead of tea.

There were even special establishments called "knocked down kitchens", located in crowded places and representing "windows". In them, people could buy a drink in its different variations. After the October Revolution, the consumption of sbitnya practically disappeared. But now its popularity is growing again, and many housewives have learned to prepare a drink on their own.

How to cook sbiten at home?

Compound:

1. Water - 3 l
2. Honey - 350 g
3. Sugar - 250 g
4. Black tea - 100 g
5. Ground cinnamon - ½ tsp
6. Cloves - ½ tsp
7. Ground nutmeg - ¼ tsp
8. Celery stalk - 100 g
9. Lemon zest -5 tbsp.

Cooking:

• So, first you need to boil the water. To do this, pour water into a deep container, after boiling, add sugar and honey. Mix the ingredients and cook until dissolved.
• In a separate bowl, brew strong tea, then strain it and pour it into a saucepan with a sweet brew.
• Place the celery, spices, and lemon zest in a saucepan. The drink is brewed for about 10 minutes, then removed from the stove, covered with a lid and infused for several minutes.
• When the sbiten is completely ready, strain it and boil again.
• The drink is poured into cups and served hot.
• You can put circles of lemons or oranges in it. Such sbiten is good to drink with a cold.

How to cook strawberry sbiten?

Compound:

1. Honey - 300 g
2. Water - 5 l
3. Strawberry juice - 500 ml
4. Mint - 2 tbsp.
5. St. John's wort - 1 tsp
6. Sage - 2 tsp

Cooking:

• Boil the water first, then pour in the strawberry juice and boil again. Add natural honey, mint, St. John's wort and sage.
• Boil sbiten for about an hour, periodically removing the resulting foam. Strain the finished sbiten and serve to the table, spilling into beautiful glasses.
• Strawberry sbiten will be an excellent alternative to fruit tea. Instead of strawberries, you can take other fruits and berries (currants, raspberries, blueberries, apples, pears), getting a completely different warming drink.

Sbiten: recipe with ginger

Compound:

1. Water - 3 l
2. Honey - 300 g
3. Ground cloves - 2 tsp
4. Fir - 100 g
5. Ginger root - 50 g
6. Sage - 4 tablespoons
7. Ground cinnamon -2 tsp

Cooking:

• Take a large saucepan, put spices and herbs (fir, sage, cinnamon and chopped ginger root) in it. Pour the ingredients with water, put the saucepan on the fire, boil and leave to boil for 10 minutes.
• Leave the finished sbiten for half an hour so that it is well infused. At the end of cooking, add the remaining ingredients - honey, cloves and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
• Sbiten with ginger will be an excellent medicine during a cold, as well as a prophylactic during a flu epidemic.

Sbiten classic: recipe

Compound:

1. Water - 3 l
2. Honey - 300 g
3. Sugar - 200 g
4. St. John's wort - 4 tsp
5. Chopped cloves - 3 tsp
6. Black peppercorns - 10 pcs.
7. Ground ginger - 1 tsp
8. Cinnamon - 2 tsp
9. Mint - 3 tsp
10. Thyme - 1 tsp
11. Cardamom - 1 tsp
12. Lemon - 1 pc.

Cooking:

• Honey is poured with 2 tbsp. water and stir until completely dissolved. Pour honey water into a saucepan and boil. Remove foam periodically, add sugar. Cook the mixture over low heat until a homogeneous mass is formed (do not bring to a boil).
• Pour the remaining water into a large saucepan, put the spices and cook under a closed lid for about 20 minutes. Leave the boiled spices to infuse for 10 minutes, then strain and mix with the honey mass. Heat the drink, but do not bring to a boil.
• Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Homemade sbiten with wine: recipe

Compound:

1. Wine - 3 l
2. Honey - 250 g
3. Carnation - 5 pcs.
4. Nutmeg - 1 tsp
5. Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp

Cooking:

• To prepare this sbitnya, it is better to choose dry red wine (mostly homemade). Pour wine into a saucepan, heat it, but do not boil it. Add spices and honey, heat a little (do not bring to a boil).
• Wine sbiten insist 30 minutes for richness and smell. Then the drink is recommended to filter.
• This recipe for sbitnya tastes like mulled wine, is served hot and perfectly warms on cold winter evenings.

Moscow sbiten: recipe

Compound:

1. Water - 7 l
2. White molasses - 1 kg
3. Honey - 300 g
4. Carnation - 7 pcs.
5. Cinnamon - 2 tsp
6. Ground ginger - 3 tsp
7. Black peppercorns - 15 pcs.
8. Cardamom - 5 pcs.
9. Star anise - 5 pcs.

Cooking:

• Boil water in a deep saucepan, dissolve honey along with molasses. Boil sweet water for about 15 - 20 minutes. Add cloves, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, pepper and cardamom.
• Cook sbiten with spices for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour the finished drink into glasses or cups.

Sbiten is a traditionally Russian warming drink that used to be drunk instead of tea. Thanks to its restorative and anti-inflammatory properties, it is good to take sbiten during a cold, as well as in the winter season instead of a tonic. There are a large number of recipes for making sbitnya, so everyone will find the right one for their taste.