Seasonal Drinks — 4 min —
Sbiten: The Winter Drink That Predates Tea
Before tea arrived in the Slavic world, before coffee, there was sbiten — a hot, spiced honey drink that warmed Russian winters for centuries. How to make the drink that predates all other warming beverages in the northern tradition.
Sbiten appears in Russian chronicles from the 12th century and was sold by street vendors — sbitenniki — in the same way that coffee is sold at carts today. It fell out of fashion when tea arrived via the Silk Road in the 17th century and was largely displaced when coffee followed. But it is experiencing a revival among people interested in the pre-tea Slavic kitchen.
What it is
Sbiten is hot water, honey, and spices — its composition as variable as the person making it and the spices available to them. The base formula calls for water, raw honey, and a combination of warming spices: ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom at minimum. Some recipes add black pepper, star anise, or bay leaf. Some add dried herbs: thyme, sage, or peppermint. Some versions were alcoholic (wine or mead was added); most were not.
The point of sbiten is not the recipe. It is the warmth — the particular quality of warmth that comes from spices rather than alcohol, that settles in the chest and stays.
The recipe
Bring one liter of water to a simmer. Add 150 grams of raw honey, one tablespoon of whole cloves, two cinnamon sticks, a thumb of fresh ginger sliced, six cardamom pods cracked, and half a teaspoon of black pepper. Simmer on very low heat for twenty minutes — do not boil after the honey is in. Strain through a fine sieve. Drink immediately from heavy ceramic cups.
The quantities are flexible. Add more ginger if your throat is sore. Add more honey if the day has been difficult. Remove the pepper if you are making it for children. The drink is yours to adjust — that is traditional too.