flipSbiten with honey, ginger, and clove
Sbiten with honey, ginger, and clove
Why this dish? A woman of letters working late on the works of the Russian Academy and its great Dictionary, Dashkova knew long nights of study. Burning sbiten, the drink of Russians before the fashion for tea, accompanied these hours of pen and inkwell.
Hot spiced drink made with melted honey and aromatics, the Russian ancestor of mulled wine. It was drunk in the streets as well as in studies to warm body and mind.
When the candle burns low and the Dictionary keeps me until the small hours, I have a hot sbiten brought up. It is the beverage of Russians long before tea came to us: honey melted in water, ginger, clove, and mint for freshness. It was drunk on every street corner of Petersburg, the merchant carrying it in his copper samovar. Hold your cup in both hands, breathe in the spice: this keeps the mind awake better than any French wine.
- •Honey — abundantly (sweet base)
- •Water — in proportion (liquid)
- •Ginger, clove, cinnamon — to taste (warming spices)
- •Mint and bay leaf — a little (freshness, aroma)
Sbiten with honey, ginger, and clove
Hot spiced drink made with melted honey and aromatics, the Russian ancestor of mulled wine. It was drunk in the streets as well as in studies to warm body and mind.
Why this dish? A woman of letters working late on the works of the Russian Academy and its great Dictionary, Dashkova knew long nights of study. Burning sbiten, the drink of Russians before the fashion for tea, accompanied these hours of pen and inkwell.
When the candle burns low and the Dictionary keeps me until the small hours, I have a hot sbiten brought up. It is the beverage of Russians long before tea came to us: honey melted in water, ginger, clove, and mint for freshness. It was drunk on every street corner of Petersburg, the merchant carrying it in his copper samovar. Hold your cup in both hands, breathe in the spice: this keeps the mind awake better than any French wine.
Ingredients (period version)
- Honey — abundantly (sweet base)
- Water — in proportion (liquid)
- Ginger, clove, cinnamon — to taste (warming spices)
- Mint and bay leaf — a little (freshness, aroma)
Ingredients
- Honey — 150 g (sweetness and body)
- Water — 1 liter (base)
- Fresh ginger — 1 piece (3 cm) (spicy warmth)
- Cloves — 4 (spice)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (roundness)
- Dried mint — 1 teaspoon (freshness)
- Bay leaf — 1 (herbaceous note)
Method
- Bring the water to a simmer with the sliced ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaf.
- Let infuse over low heat for 15 minutes without boiling hard.
- Off the heat, add the honey and mint, stir until completely dissolved (do not boil the honey).
- Strain and serve piping hot in cups or glasses held in a glass holder.
- Keep the remainder warm and reheat gently as needed.
How it was made : Sbiten was sold in Russian streets by itinerant merchants carrying a copper vessel similar to the samovar. Both a popular and aristocratic drink, it declined in the 19th century with the spread of tea. Medicinal herbs like St. John's wort were sometimes added.
The contemporary twist : Serve it in a clear glass with a cinnamon stick as a stirrer: a 'mulled wine without wine' for winter evenings.
Ekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova · Charactorium
