The Honey Bea
In My Big Fake Wedding, Beatrice Corbin convinces her best friend, Oliver, to pretend to be her fiancé in order to convince her parents that her wedding plans are going through. At dinner, her mother calls her “Honey Bea,” which frankly makes this all worth it for Oliver.
When I was setting out to create a cocktail based on Beatrice, this scene sprang to mind. I think Bea as a cocktail would have all of these flavor profiles: sweet, but not overly so, with an unexpected sharpness hidden there.
Living in Florida, I’m happy to have an orange tree growing right in my backyard. I was able to harvest its blossoms for this drink, but there are plenty of pre-infused dry gins already on the market for your use.
Cheers,
Jessica
The Honey Bea
Ingredients & Materials
1 oz. dry gin infused with orange blossoms
2 oz. a dry riesling, ideally German
1 tsp. orange blossom honey
2-3 dashes black walnut bitters
Ice
2 strainers (1 fine mesh; 1 regular)
Shaker tin
Chilled coupe glass
Edible flowers and/or candied orange peel
Recipe
If infusing your own gin, gather approximately a dozen orange blossoms. Rinse and drop directly into bottle of dry gin, like Beefeater’s. The blossoms should be done infusing after 24 hours. If using store-bought, consider brands like Fleurette and Condesa.
Add ice, dry riesling, honey, and black walnut bitters to shaker.
Using fine mesh strainer, add infused gin to strainer.
Shake to combine, until sides of shaker tin are cold to touch (approx. 30 seconds).
Strain into coupe glass, garnish with edible flowers and/or candied orange peel. Enjoy!
