It's the summer of hot honey at Saratoga Tea & Honey Co., and we're celebrating with three new honey cocktail recipes featuring our Carolina Reaper hot honey! Developed by chef Izzy Rozansky, these three cocktails are easy to make at home with ingredients you likely already have on your bar cart or in your pantry.

Smoke & Fire - A sweet, smokey, and spicy cocktail featuring a Lapsang Souchong-infused vodka, this tea and honey cocktail is a showstopper. We especially recommend this cocktail for home mixologists who want to step up their game from classic mixed drinks without worrying too much about fussy ingredients or directions.

Queen Anne's Revenge - Named for Blackbeard's ship (which fittingly sank off the cost of the Carolinas), this rum and whiskey cocktail probably would have put a smile on even the most feared pirate's face. It will definitely put a smile on your and your guests' faces with minimal effort on your part!

Island Fever - Whenever you get the itch to visit somewhere tropical, this spicy pineapple and coconut cocktail might be just the tonic you need. Another easy-to-make cocktail, you probably have everything but the pineapple juice on hand!

Ingredients & Directions:

5 oz Lemon soda or lemonade
1.5 oz Lapsang Souchong infused vodka
0.5 oz Lemon vodka
2 Tbsp Carolina Reaper Honey simple syrup (1:1 honey:water)
Fresh mint to garnish (or oregano if you are interested in a fun, savory twist)
Shake and serve over ice (if using soda instead of lemonade, add after shaking)

Directions to Make the Lapsang Souchong Infused Vodka:

Infuse 6g of tea to 16 oz vodka overnight.

Recipe developed by Izzy Rozansky

Ingredients & Directions:

1.5 oz Honey whiskey
0.5 oz Spiced Rum
2 Tbsp Carolina Reaper honey syrup (use a 1:1 ratio of hot water to honey to make the syrup)
Dash of orange bitters
Shake and serve over one ice cube

Recipe developed by Izzy Rozansky

Ingredients & Directions:

2 oz Malibu (or tequila if you don't like coconut)
2 oz Pineapple juice
2 oz Orange juice
2 Tbsp Carolina Reaper Honey simple syrup (made using a 1:1 ratio of honey to hot water)
Shake and serve over ice (pebble ice is a really nice touch, if you have it!)

Recipe developed by Izzy Rozansky

Carolina Reaper isn't our only hot honey! Try out these cocktails with Ghost Pepper or Hot Mango, or try all three to decide which one is best!