Homemade Honey Sbiten (Spiced Drink)
Delicious, healthy, light and pleasantly spicy! Homemade honey sbiten is an old traditional Slavic spiced drink that helps support the immune system and lifts your mood. It’s very aromatic, easy to make and turns out well from the very first try. You can adjust the set of spices to your own taste.
Updated : 24 December, 2025
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
400 milliliters
Water
350 grams
Honey
to taste
Cinnamon
to taste
Star anise
1 tablespoon
Sugar
1 teaspoon
Lemon zest
1 tablespoon
Ginger
2 tablespoon
Lemon juice
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make honey sbiten? Prepare the necessary spices and water. Use filtered or bottled water. The amount and type of spices are approximate, so adjust them to your taste. You can omit the sugar completely, replacing it with honey or a sugar substitute.
Step 2
Pour the water into a suitable saucepan. Add the honey and sugar.
Step 3
Add all the prepared spices to the saucepan and place it over the heat.
Step 4
Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil and simmer at a gentle, active boil for 20-30 minutes over low heat. Do not cover with a lid. Then remove the saucepan from the heat, cover with a lid and let it steep for another 30 minutes.
Step 5
Strain the finished sbiten, bring it back to a boil and pour into mugs. Add a little lemon juice or a slice of lemon to each mug. Serve the sbiten hot. Enjoy!
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