During the hot Ansteorra summers at either home or on the road for events, some times plain water just wont quench that heat/fighting induced thirst that demands 2 gallons of water poured down the throat every hour.  This tea is a little odd with the vinegar but quite tasty…so tasty I keep this in the fridge just for regular days and not as an event only drink!

Syrup of Simple Sikanjabin

(Mint tea w/vinegar)

Translation

Take a ratl of strong vinegar and mix two ratls of sugar, and cook all this until it takes the form of a syrup.  Drink an uqiya of this with three of hot water when fasting.  While mint is not mentioned in the period translation (there seems to be only 2 listed with both being used for medicinal purposes) it is included in a large variety of period drinks of flavored syrups that are meant to be drunk, either hot or cold, but cut with water prior to drinking.

A Miscelleny pg. 104

Ingredients:

1 gallon water

1/3 cup vinegar

2/3 – 1C table sugar

3 – 4 TBS dried loose leaf peppermint

My Redaction:

Add water, mint,  vinegar and sugar in a pot and boil for 2 minutes.

That’s just about all there is; however I do add a few suggestions.  I do not put the mint in a tea ball but let the water boil .  The boiling causes the mint to sink to the bottom, so that when poured into a pitcher there is very little loose mint floating on the top or in the tea.

Unfortunately I don’t have any pretty pictures to show with the tea sitting in a decorative glass bottle.  This is fairly utilitarian on my part.  Give this a try though on one of those hot heat intensive days and you’ll be hooked!