For those who crave a little something sweet, but don’t want to add any more empty calories to their diets, these cocktails could be for you!
Instead of refined or processed sugar as a sweetener, they use honey, which is rich in antioxidants, linked to reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and some types of cancer.
Equally important, we can buy local by purchasing honey from local beekeepers. Their bees pollinate crops, making them vital to fruit and veggie production. The bonus is that honey is absolutely delicious and adds another layer of depth to cocktails.
A few local honey farms to support:
>> Manoa Honey & Mead, manoahoney.com
>> Oahu Honey Co., oahubees.com
>> Kauai Juice Co., kauaijuiceco.com
>> Rare Hawaiian Honey Co., rarehawaiian honey.com
>> Big Island Bees, bigisland bees.com
TRY THIS twist on afternoon tea by infusing your spirit with black tea for a little twist on a classic honey-inspired cocktail, the Bees Knees.
The original is as simple as it gets: gin, honey and lemon. The beauty is that each element, when done right, is in complete balance, yet you can taste each component.
‘BEE’-TIME
- 1/2 ounce honey syrup (see note; I like Manoa Honey’s White Kiawe Creme Honey for this)
- 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 2 ounces Earl Grey-infused gin (steep 1/4 cup loose tea in a 750-milliliter bottle of gin for 2 hours; strain well)
Combine ingredients in shaker tin. Fill with ice, shake and strain into coupe or martini glass.
>> Garnish: Wide lemon twist
THIS COCKTAIL offers the one-two punch of honey, with its healing properties, and fresh ginger, another powerful antioxidant. This one is playful and fun, utilizing tequila and bright yuzu citrus.
EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING
- 3/4 ounce honey syrup (see note; I like Kauai Juice Co. Raw Kauai Honey for this)
- 3/4 ounce lime juice
- 1 teaspoon yuzu juice (available at Don Quijote or Marukai Wholesale Mart)
- 1 teaspoon ginger juice (available at Whole Foods Market juice bar)
- 2 ounces blanco tequila
- Combine ingredients in shaker tin. Add ice, shake and strain over fresh ice into bucket glass.
- Garnish: Ginger slices arranged in fan
>> NOTE: Both these recipes use honey syrup: Combine 5 parts honey with 1 part warm water.
Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Hawaii. Her column runs on the fourth week of the month. The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.
