One of our favorite recommendations in our Honey Room is to encourage guests to experiment with honey simple syrups in cocktails because it's a fun, easy way to use honey in a way that's both special and part of everyday life. So, as soon as we tasted our new sweet-tart Elderberry Infused Honey, we knew we had to create some simple and refreshing cocktails for summer!

Usually our cocktail recipes here on the blog are a bit on the involved side, often including homemade tea / herbal infusions or several liquors. 

But the truth is a delicious cocktail doesn't need to be complicated, and this time we wanted to let our gorgeous Elderberry Honey speak for itself. 

Below, you will find a very easy recipe for honey simple syrup, as well as a few twists on classic cocktails using Elderberry Honey Simple Syrup. We recommend giving these cocktails a stir and experimenting with your own favorite flavors!

Using Elderberry Infused Honey in Cocktails

Elderberry Infused Honey Simple Syrup for Cocktails

• 1 part Elderberry Infused Honey
• 1 part hot water

Mix well until honey is fully dissolved. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Elderberry G&T Recipe

• 1/2 ounce Elderberry Infused Honey Simple Syrup
• 2 ounces Botanical Dry Gin (London Dry works too, but we recommend a botanical gin for a refreshing summer flavor)
• Ice
• Top with Fever Tree Tonic Water
• Squeeze of Lime Juice
• Lime wedge for garnish

For a berry delicious twist on the classic G&T, stir Elderberry Infused Honey Simple Syrup, Botanical Gin, Ice, Tonic, and a squeeze of lime juice. 

Elderberry French 75 Recipe

• 1/4 ounce Elderberry Infused Honey Simple Syrup
• 1/4 ounce St Germain Elderflower Liquor
• Top with Brut Sparkling Wine

Stir and garnish with blackberries (or elderberries, if you can find them!)

Why Use Elderberry Infused Honey?

Elderberries are an amazing superfood full of antioxidants, and so is honey. Many elderberry syrups available commercially are full of added sugars needed to sweeten these naturally tart berries. Our sweet-tart Elderberry Infused Honey is a delicious and natural way to get your antioxidants or sweeten your tea or cocktails - without all the added sugar.

We knew immediately that we would be adding Elderberry Infused Honey to our cocktails this summer because its sweet-tart flavor profile is never cloying and pairs extremely well with refreshing summer flavors like lime, mint, basil, and cucumber. 

The sky is the limit with your Elderberry Honey Simple Syrup, and we can't wait to find out what you create!

As soon as we tasted the first batch, we knew our Whiskey Barrel Aged Wildflower Honey was something special... and that it practically demanded to be used in a local craft cocktail.

So, we asked good friend and craft cocktail specialist, Brendan Dillon of Hamlet and Ghost restaurant, to experiment with our  Whiskey Barrel Aged Wildflower. After some trial and error, Brendan created a light, beautiful cocktail featuring this special honey and Fino Sherry*! 

Don't be discouraged hearing Brendan's credentials, this show-stopping cocktail is actually quite easy to make and includes ingredients that you likely already have (or definitely won't mind having) in your kitchen. 

Thank you, Brendan!

Whiskey Me Away Craft Cocktail by Hamlet & Ghost's Brendan Dillon

1 egg white

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake hard and strain into a beautiful glass with a fine strainer.  Serve with a citrus twist.

A few notes on making honey simple syrup

If you would like to experiment with this or other cocktails featuring our Whiskey Honey, your first step is probably going to be making a simple syrup using 1 part honey and 1 part hot water. To do this, simply heat some water, add your honey, and stir until the honey is dissolved. Your water does not need to be boiling or boil down to create your honey simple! In fact, if you have an electric water kettle, you won't need the stove at all! This honey simple syrup will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator, just like a sugar-based simple syrup, making the Whiskey Me Away your perfect go-to summer cocktail.

*Fino Sherry is the driest type of sherry. If you are unfamiliar or unsure where the sherry in your cupboard falls, we recommend stopping in to chat with Annemarie at By the Bottle around the corner from our shop, or the lovely ladies at Kane's Fine Wine & Spirits. 

More than ever, this 2020 summer feels like a time of slowing down and enjoying what is around us.  Whether it's children splashing in water, crickets chirping, or the smell of the grill, simple pleasures of sharing time together seem all the more meaningful.  Darien Leigh of @pantry.hill captures this feeling of gathering with Adirondack refinement at her family's retreat up north, where they all enjoyed Ghost Pepper Honey Mojitos.  We hope you enjoy them, too, in good company.

Yields: 1 cocktail

Fine mesh strainer



Stir together until honey is dissolved.