And to be fair, cocktails made with honey are sweeter than those without it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re sugary. For example, the honey-lime margarita is a bit sweeter than a traditional margarita, but it is by no means sweet. So if you prefer your cocktails tart, tangy, or a little smoky, don’t automatically assume you won’t find anything to suit your tastes on this list. Even though there are only ten honey cocktails to choose from, they easily please a wide range of preferences. Check out this list and see which ones you like the best.
These Honey Cocktail Recipes Are the Bee’s Knees!
1. Bee’s Knees Cocktail
The bee’s knees cocktail is a vibrant drink thanks to its sunshine yellowy-orange color and its bright, lemony taste. It’s easy to make, requiring only honey syrup, lemon juice, and gin, and it looks lovely and elegant, with its lemon twist garnish. The honey adds a subtle sweetness to the drink, but you’ll mostly get lots of zingy lemon flavor.
2. Gold Rush Cocktail
The gold rush cocktail uses the same recipe as the bee’s knees, with only one crucial difference: You’ll use bourbon instead of gin. Doing so gives it a deeper, richer, smokier flavor. If it were a warm drink, you’d almost say the taste was medicinal. If you ever had to drink your grandma’s homemade concoction of liquor, honey, lemon, and peppermint to soothe your sore throat, then you’ll have an idea of how this tastes. This one, however, is cold and doesn’t include the peppermint, though you could add a few mint leaves if you really wanted to make it more medicinal.
3. Spicy Bee’s Knees
There are lots of bee’s knees variations out there. In fact, I could probably fill up this entire list of 10 cocktails with nothing but variations. However, I love the spicy bee’s knees so much that I had to add it. The recipe is similar to the original. You’ll use aged gin and lemon juice. Instead of honey syrup, though, you’ll use spicy honey simple syrup, which you’ll make with water, honey, and hot honey (honey with chiles). It gives the drink a bit of a bite – or a sting, if you prefer – without changing the taste too much. Stick a chile pepper on the side as a garnish, and enjoy the heat.
4. Tequila Honey Bee
If you couldn’t guess by the name, this five-ingredient cocktail is yet another variation on the bee’s knees recipe. You’ll still use honey syrup and lemon juice. Instead of gin or bourbon, though, you’ll use a base of tequila. You’ll also want to rinse the glass in mezcal before adding your ingredients. Finally, add a few dashes of Angostura bitters and a lemon peel for a garnish, and you’re all set. It’s a bittersweet, honey tequila drink that any fan of tequila should enjoy.
5. Honey-Rose Old-Fashioned
This delicate, three-ingredient cocktail adds an aromatic, floral-like twist to the traditional old-fashioned. You’ll use bourbon, apple bitters, and rose-honey simple syrup. Between the apple bitters and the syrup, this old-fashioned is quite a bit sweeter than the original version. Even so, it retains the smoky bourbon flavor that makes old-fashioneds so distinct. If you’re a bourbon connoisseur who also happens to enjoy a bit of flowery sweetness now and then, this drink is the one for you.
6. Honey Lime Margarita
These honey lime margaritas are for anyone who enjoys margaritas but wishes they were just a bit less tart and sweeter. You’ll keep pretty much everything you love about a traditional margarita – the attractive color, the tangy lime and tequila flavor, the icy cold freshness – but you’ll get some honey sweetness, too.
7. Honey Mojitos
I’ll be honest. I’ve always made my mojitos with honey, so to me, these honey mojitos are simply mojitos. They might be for you, as well. All you’ll need to pull them together are fresh mint leaves, lime wedges, mint honey simple syrup, ice cubes, white rum, and club soda. They’re the same fresh, crisp mojitos you know and love; however, if you’re used to using a different sweetener, they might be a tad sweeter than what you’re used to drinking. Either way, they’re still wonderfully minty and refreshing, and you’ll appreciate that they’re good to the last sip.
8. Honey Martini
If you’re looking for a honey cocktail that’ll allow you to actually taste the honey, check out this recipe for the honey martini. It’s a simple, three-ingredient drink that takes 5 minutes to make. The drink combines vodka, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and honey. It, too, has a slightly medicinal taste, which is compounded by the vodka, which is already somewhat analeptic. However, in this drink, the honey shines through much more brightly than in any of the others. You’ll get hints of the lemon and vodka, too, but the honey is definitely the star of the show.
9. Honey Bourbon Sangria
If you’re like me, you have a sangria recipe for every season. And if you need a new one for fall, the honey bourbon sangria has you covered. It has a strikingly gorgeous yellow color, and the star fruit garnishes look stunning. At first glance, the ingredients list appears long – and it is – but it’s still a simple drink to make. It takes only 10 minutes to pull together. You’ll need fresh orange juice, orange and lemon zest, lemon juice, water, brown sugar, ginger paste, chai tea, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, honey bourbon, Moscato, and bitters. The result is a tangy, bittersweet sangria with smoky undertones and a powerful kick. It’s phenomenal.
10. Sparkling Raspberry, Vodka, and Honey Cocktail
This bubbly red drink is a good choice if you’re looking for something light and sweet that’ll give you a slight buzz but won’t get you drunk (unless you have a second glass, of course). The vodka gives the drink a nice kick, making it more potent than it otherwise would be. And the lemon, honey, raspberries, and Prosecco all combine to make one delightfully fruity treat. Click on a star to rate it!
Average rating 4.3 / 5. Vote count: 3 No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.
Share on social media: Let us improve this post!
