Throughout the summer, Stuart Weaver — the general manager at Lady Jane, a cocktail bar in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood — leans into one of the season’s most golden ingredients: honey.
On Lady Jane’s late summer menu, honey takes center stage in two inventive ways. In one cocktail, it’s the base for a syrup infused with blistered shishito peppers. In another, Weaver and his team ferment orange blossom honey, transforming it into something tangy, sweet, and just slightly effervescent. In the past, he’s used a raw Scottish heather honey to bring a floral yet earthy note to a peaty scotch cocktail called “Nine Deaths.”
Bartenders have long been sweet on honey, and for good reason.
“Honey is so versatile and its flavor profile is the very definition of terroir,” Weaver said. His personal connection to the sweet stuff runs deep: His father is a hobbyist beekeeper in Texas, producing honey with notes of hay and lavender. When Weaver visits, he loves suiting up and helping tend to the hives.
“Honey and summer share a strong connection, conjuring up images of warm weather, vibrant nature, and peak blooming season,” he said.
Weaver shares his go-to honey tips, tricks and cocktail recipes.
(Note: Lady Jane cocktails change all the time, so current honeyed drinks like the Come-Hither, a vodka-kumquat cocktail with honey, or the Copycat, a gin and honey mix, may not be on the menu. See what else they are serving up at ladyjanedenver.com/menus or head on over to Lady Jane.)
Q. What types of honey work best in cocktails?
A. It depends on the primary flavors of your cocktail on which honey will pair best as a complimentary ingredient, Weaver said. “But be sure to get the good stuff: Go to your local farmers market and try all different kinds of honey — I guarantee that honey from each apiary will taste different. The flavor of the honey depends on the variety of flowering plants in the vicinity that the bees harvest.”
Q. What’s a golden rule for working with honey in cocktails?
A. Dilute your honey. We use a 3:1 ratio at Lady Jane (three parts honey to one part water, which makes the syrup listed in the drinks below).
Q. For at-home bartenders, what’s a simple honey cocktail recipe?
A. For a summer thirst-quencher, shake up a Bee’s Knees or an Airmail. For bourbon lovers, mix up a Gold Rush (all those recipes are below). Tiki enthusiast? Look to the Missionary’s Downfall or a Three Dots & A Dash. Feeling a bit under the weather? Make yourself a Penicillin or a Hot Toddy. (Reference your favorite cocktail book or look online for recipes for those last four.)
Gold Rush
Source: Lady Jane
INGREDIENTS
2 ounces bourbon
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce honey syrup
DIRECTIONS
Shake and fine strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
Bee’s Knees
Source: Lady Jane
INGREDIENTS
2 ounces gin
1 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce honey syrup
DIRECTIONS
Shake and fine strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Airmail
Source: Lady Jane
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 ounce white or lightly-aged rum
3/4 ounce honey syrup
3/4 ounce Lime Juice
2 ounces prosecco
mint leaves (for garnish)
DIRECTIONS
Shake and fine strain over Prosecco in a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with mint leaves.
Where to try them
Here are four spots to try cocktails with honey this summer:
Call Me Pearl: Bartenders in this glam ballpark neighborhood bar make an Old Fashioned with lavender honey. 1600 20th St.; callmepearlbar.com
Leven Deli Co: A honey simple syrup sweetens up the garden-inspired, gin-based Matcha Martini at Leven Deli Co. that’s also made with lavender and is served with an edible flower garnish. 123 W. 12th Ave., Denver; eatleven.com
Rare Bird: The Flor de Lola is a tequila-based cocktail with honey, lime and rose water, all tied together by steeped hibiscus water and a touch of mezcal. It’s served with a ground hibiscus sugar rim. “The inspiration came from a memory of walking with my grandfather down in ‘Jardin de Jerez’ (garden), a town in Zacatecas,” said bartender Joan Hernandez. “The flavors combined give a sense of cultural nostalgia with every sip.” Rooftop, 245 Columbine St., Denver; rarebirdrooftop.com/denver
Olive & Finch: A riff on the classic French 75 cocktail, the Finch 75 calls in honey and elderflower to lend floral notes for this spring and summer sipper. Multiple locations; oliveandfinch.com