Sbiten
6 servings
10 minutes
Russian traditions of celebrating Christmas, like European ones, are inextricably linked with festivities and fairs. But there is a fundamental difference: Russian winter is not like European winter, it required warmer clothes and hotter drinks. So strong men with jugs, wrapped in warm shawls and wadded blankets, walked around the markets , booths and other places of street entertainment, selling the main Russian hot drink of that time - sbiten. It warmed no worse than European mulled wine, although it was not always alcoholic. In fact, sbiten is just heated liquid honey with the addition of various spices: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, cardamom - bright, dense, with viscous spicy notes and the aroma of herbs.
1
Bring water to a boil. Dissolve honey in it, then pour the herbal mixture with this solution. Let it steep for at least a night — the result will be a dark-colored infusion. Strain it. Heat again before serving.
- Water: 2.5 l
- Honey: 400 g
- Herbal tea blend: 250 g
2
Put mint in the kettle, add lime cut into quarters, and a slice of lemon. Pour everything with tea, sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve.
- Mint: 1 bunch
- Lime: 1 piece
- Lemon: 1 piece
- Cinnamon: to taste