When added straight from the bottle or jar, honey does not work well in chilled cocktails. It will stick to the sides of the shaker when the ice is introduced and will resist mixing. If you want the flavor of honey in cocktails, you must first dilute its texture, make it soluble, and make it into a syrup. Most honey syrups contain just honey and water, but we have added vanilla and orange peel to accentuate some of the key flavor notes in the honey. Acacia honey is light in flavor and fragrant and is one of the few honeys that is truly liquid and does not crystallize. This particular recipe was developed for our Mediterra cocktail (page 108), which was one of the most popular cocktails in the first years after Employees Only opened.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 quart
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool, then strain into a food-safe quart container for storing. Fill a labeled squeeze bottle for easiest use. The syrup will keep for 7 days, refrigerated.
substituting for simple syrup
Step 2
Other natural sweeteners—raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar—can be turned into syrups for easy use in cocktails as an alternative to simple syrup. Be mindful when you swap in flavored syrup in a cocktail that requires simple syrup: any flavor added to a cocktail should contribute positively to the final flavor profile of the cocktail. For example, agave—from which tequila is made—will increase the depth of flavor in a Margarita; maple syrup would overpower it.
Step 3
Making syrups takes a little trial and error. Start by slowly heating equal proportions of the sweetener and water in a saucepan. The consistency should be such that the flavor of the ingredient is prominent but the syrup still liquid enough to pour. For more elaborate syrups, try adding herbs, spices, or citrus peel to increase the depth of flavor. For example, honey syrup (left) is incredible with vanilla and orange zest.
