Zbyten Spiced Honey Drink
Zbyten is hot water, honey and spices, and everything depends on the order. Honey stirred into boiling water loses almost all of its aroma and leaves nothing but sweetness behind. So the spices are brewed on their own, and the honey goes into a decoction that has already stopped steaming hard.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 160 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Ground ginger works instead of fresh — 1 tsp — but add it at the start of the simmer, because ground spice needs time to open up in water.
Makes: 1 litre, 4 mugs
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Brew the spices
Put the cinnamon, cloves, cracked cardamom, star anise and ginger into a litre of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Hard spices give up their oils slowly and need exactly that long.
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Step 2: Add mint and zest
Take the pan off the heat, drop in the mint and strips of lemon zest, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Mint is never boiled: the menthol flashes off in a minute and only bitterness stays in the leaf.
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Step 3: Wait for 60 °C
The liquid should stop steaming in clouds — around 60 °C, hot but not scalding to a hand held above it. Honey still dissolves instantly at this point but keeps its scent.
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Step 4: Stir in the honey
Spoon in the honey and stir until it has completely dissolved. The flavour rounds out at once; honey tastes quite different warm than it does cold.
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Step 5: Strain
Pass the zbyten through a fine sieve so no spice fragments end up in the mugs, then add the juice of the half lemon — it lifts the honey out of plain sweetness.
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Step 6: Serve hot
Pour into thick mugs warmed with boiling water; a cold cup steals ten degrees in half a minute. A fresh slice of ginger in each mug is a good finish.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Honey goes only into liquid that is no longer boiling. Above 80 °C the volatile compounds that make honey smell like honey simply leave.
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Variation
For a sharper winter version add 3 black peppercorns and a pinch of chilli to the spices. The heat lingers in the throat long after the sweetness fades.
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Swap
Ground ginger works instead of fresh — 1 tsp — but add it at the start of the simmer, because ground spice needs time to open up in water.
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Storage
Up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat gently and never let it boil, or all that is left is sweet water.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 160 kcal | 640 kcal |
| Protein | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 40 g | 160 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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