[Artemisia] Recipe for Sekanjabin

[Zafirah Tahreer Bint Al Riyah]

The other day, I was at the Farmers' Market in down town Salt Lake City.  I stopped at a honey vendor's booth and they convinced me to have a taste of their honey wine vinegar.  I do not like vinegar.  I was a hard one to convince.  But after a taste, I actually bought a bottle of the stuff.  It is not cheap either, since this is a sustainable bee keeper.  But the smell and taste were very surprising.  (No this is not an add for honey wine - also know as mead - vinegar!)  I was suddenly reminded of a drink Lady Ashe'el shared at a hafla.  So I went to the great magical web and inquired with the great google spider, what is the recipe for this wonderful refreshing drink?  And after discovering two wonderful versions, I thought to myself, "Self, how can we keep this wonderful yummy potion to ourselves?"  And so I determined it was right and logical to share:

  
Sekanjabin is a lovely refreshing Persian drink, who's key ingredients are vinegar, mint (or other herb), and sugar. You basically boil the 3 together till you get a shelf stable concentrated syrup (lasts for years when you're done). Add a few teaspoons per glass of water and voila, ancient Gatorade with a lot better flavor!! I have made lemon, mint, chamomile, ginger, and lavender, all with great success!
Basic Mint Sekanjabin
4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup vinegar
handfull of fresh mint (other herbs I saw were lavender, ginger and cinnamon)
Dissolve the sugar in the water. (Yes, four cups of sugar will dissolve in two and a half cups of water.) Bring to a gentle boil about 10-15 minutes. Add vinegar. Turn down to a simmer; let simmer for about twenty to thirty minutes until it thickens. (You can taste it at this point to determine if you want more sweet or more sour.) Remove from heat. Toss in mint leaves (or other herbs). Let cool. When it is completely cool, remove the mint leaves and bottle the syrup. 
To drink, mix syrup with water to taste (for most people, one part of syrup to anywhere between five and ten parts of water).
For a single serving you can place a couple of tablespoons of the syrup in a glass, add some ice, water, cucumber, mix well and garnish with a small stem of mint and lime rind.
It can also be poured into a bowl and used as a dip for crisp fresh lettuce.
Before the discovery of the New World, this recipe would most certainly have been created using honey instead of sugar.
Sekanjabin with Honey and Vinegar: 

Ingredients: 

1 1/3 cup honey
1 cup water
2/3 cup white vinegar


Method:
Follow the same directions used in recipe #1 for sekanjabin and its drink (sharbat).  
Remove the foams with a spoon as they form on top. The aroma of the honey gently simmering on the stove fills up the entire house and  is quite intoxicating! 

Sekanjabin can be preserved in a glass jar and kept in a cool place for a long time.
I hope you all enjoy!  Summer is most certainly not over and this is a great thirst quenching drink on a hot day.

Cheers,

Lady Zafirah Tahreer Bint Al Riyah
Deputy Minister of Arts & Sciences, 
Barony of Loch Salann
MKA: Erika Andrach