I have featured Honey Ridge Farms more than once on this blog. Since that time, I have had the chance to try a couple of flavors of honey from the brand and it’s absolutely swoon-worthy! I was never fond of honey until I tasted Honey Ridge Farms honey! WOW– talk about great flavors and perfect texture. There’s so much one can do with honey too. It’s not just for tea or toast. There’s a lot you can do with it. I thought that since it was such a game-changer for me in the last 12 months, I felt that it was worth sharing these super cocktails and food recipes one more time. While there is a disclosure on this post, it’s from last year. I have purchased more of this great brand and absolutely adore it.
It’s always interesting to feature holiday foods and cocktails when it’s a holiday like Halloween which give one such freedom to be creative. Because people aren’t tied into tradition, the creative sparks are allowed to fly to create some unusual things– like the cocktails and foods I am featuring today which are based around HONEY!
Not all honey cremes or honey products are the same. Try to find a high-quality honey with lots of honey products for cocktails, cooking and baking will be worth the time and $$. The taste will speak volumes and impress guests and your palette. Here’s a brand I like: Honey Ridge Farms! Check out all their amazing flavors of honey and vinegars. YUM!!
I have tried many different honey brands and found some I liked and some I didn’t– even within the same brand. Usually what you will find at local stores are brands from local beekeepers which makes sense since you should eat brands that are local to you to get the best flavor. That said, not everyone can find honey cremes or honey year-round from local brands due to regional weather conditions.
Disclosure: I was provided samples of a couple of flavors of Honey Ridge honey cremes and balsamic vinegar. This allowed me to try a couple of these recipes for food and cocktails. The choice of flavors and opinion on this product line are entirely mine.
I have purchased more honey from HRF since this ran in 2015. What a pleasure to indulge in something that tastes so great!(Disclosure from 2015)
Honey is an ideal ingredient for cooking, baking or enjoying as is. Raw Honey Crèmes and pure Balsamic Honey Vinegar are produced by Honey Ridge Farms, a family with five generations of beekeeping experience. All honey is sourced from Pacific Northwest and Western beekeepers, and traceable to origin. www.honeyridgefarms.com.
You can use the flavored honey cremes for tea, toast, desserts but also other things like cocktails and hot drinks.
Spicy Sanguine Sling
Ingredients:
1-1/2 oz vodka
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier
2 oz blood orange juice (approximately 1 fresh blood orange = 1/4 cup)
1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 Tbsp spiced honey simple syrup made with Honey Ridge Spiced Honey Creme
Method:
Shake all ingredients on ice and strain over crushed ice in a high-ball glass.
To make Honey Syrup:
Dissolve 1 part Honey Crème to 2 parts hot water.
Store and refrigerate in glass bottle.
Choose honey flavor that will complement the key notes of the cocktail.
(Lavender or Spiced Honey for the Spicy Sanguine Sling; Coconut for a tropical drink etc.)
HARVEST MOON MARTINI
Homage to the beautiful Harvest Moon and splendor of Fall.
Courtesy Juan Carlos Mesa, bartender, BrioNYC
Ingredients:
2 oz. vodka (preferably Potato, such as Chopin)
1 oz. Honey Crème Blood Orange syrup
1 oz. fresh lime juice
¼ oz. (splash) of balsamic honey vinegar (Honey Ridge has an exceptional honey balsamic vinegar and a rocking great Serrano Chile Balsamic Vinegar too.)
Fresh orange peel
3 allspice seeds
1 fresh basil leaf, for garnish
Method:
Crush orange peel and brush along the rim of a chilled martini glass.
Combine liquid ingredients with this peel and the allspice seeds in a shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously 10 times to break the allspice seeds and release their flavors. |
Strain into martini glass, smack basil leaf between palms to release flavorful oils and place on surface of cocktail.
This last cocktail is via Yummly.com and it’s a riff on a cocktail I saw in Cooking Contest Central. It’s a variation on a theme of ‘shrubs’ without the same work (i.e., it’s faster and easier to do.)
Cranberry Sage Cocktail
Ingredients
Ingredients:
3 ounces high quality, unsweeetened cranberry juice (100% juice. Not the cocktail)
1-1/2 ounces premium cranberry-flavored vodka
(Smirnoff or Absolut is a good choice. Should you want something with a touch of sweetness, you can try vanilla, berry, or apple vodka for a tweak on this taste profile)
1 teaspoon cranberry balsamic vinegar
2 sage leaves, plus extra for garnish (If you can’t find fresh sage, look for fresh rosemary or thyme and substitute an equal quantity)
1 strip lemon peel
2 ounces club soda
fresh cranberries, garnish
Instructions
Place cranberry juice, vodka, vinegar, sage and lemon peel in a cocktail shaker filled half-way with ice.
Shake to mix well and strain into an ice-filled glass.
Top with club soda and garnish with fresh cranberries and sage leaves.
Learn how to infuse here: Williams Sonoma It will take a while. Want a faster version: try this post on LA-Story.com with Ted Kilgore a mixologist who talks about faster ways to infuse spirits or simple syrups. You can learn how to infuse the balsamic vinegar with the cranberry flavor!
Food:
CHUNKY DEVILED EGGS
Ingredients:
6 large eggs, hard-cooked
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1 teaspoon Honey Crème Blood Orange or Clover
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup mayonnaise
Paprika
Method:
Shell the eggs, cut them in half lengthwise, and put the egg yolks in a small bowl. Set the egg whites aside.
Add all the remaining ingredients except mayonnaise to the yolks, mashing with a fork.
Be sure the honey is well distributed.
Stir in the mayonnaise and taste for lime and salt.
Spoon the mixture into the egg whites, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Let come to room temperature before serving.
Dust eggs with paprika and garnish with minced dill. Serves 6.
HONEY-BRIE RACLETTE
A casual entertaining dish that works exceptionally well as an appetizer.
Ingredients:
Cow or goat’s milk Brie
Rosemary stalk (fresh)
Honey Creme of your choice of flavor. (spiced, lemon lavender, clover or raspberry are all great choices)
Nuts for toasting (optional) (do the nuts ahead of time)
Apples and/or pears, sliced,
Toasted baguette bread and/or flatbread
Instructions:
Use either cow’s or goat’s milk brie.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Place brie in oven-proof skillet, top with rosemary stalk and gently heat until it melted (about 5 – 7 minutes)
and rosemary is fragrant.
Drizzle with Honey Creme, and if you like, chopped toasted nuts. ( I chose lemon lavendar from Honey Ridge (of course!)
Serve with sliced apples and pears toasted baguette slices or flatbreads.
GOAT CHEESE GRATIN
Ingredients:
10- or 12-oz. log fresh soft chèvre (goat cheese), at room temperature
2 tablespoons half & half
3 tablespoons Honey Crème Blood Orange, Clover, Lemon, or Lavender
1/3 cup coarsely chopped salted roasted pistachios
Flatbreads
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a bowl, whisk goat cheese and half-and-half until smooth.
Spoon into a small, shallow gratin dish, spreading to make level.
Bake until cheese is hot in center and beginning to firm up at edges, about 15 minutes.
Drizzle baked gratin with honey and sprinkle with pistachios.
Serve with flatbreads.
I love every single flavor of honey from Honey Ridge Farms. The texture is super creamy and the flavors or so exquisite. I had never tried honey like this before. I adore the balsamic vinegar too. I hope you find time to try these recipes and use Honey Ridge Farms honey as ingredients for those recipes and other ways you use honey.
Follow Honey Ridge Farms on these social platforms for tips, recipes and great flavor innovations!
Website: www.honeyridgefarms.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Honey-Ridge-Farms
Twitter: https://twitter.com/honeyridgefarms
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/honeyridgefarms/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/honeyridgefarms/
Disclosure: I was provided samples of a couple of flavors of Honey Ridge honey cremes and balsamic vinegar. This allowed me to try a couple of these recipes for food and cocktails. The choice of flavors and opinion on this product line are entirely mine.
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DEALS and STEALS(Affiliate Links)
I am an “affiliate” with these brands. I curate deals that offer bonuses, bargains and great products –and some are very specifically for this site to feature to YOU!
If you purchase via my link, I make a very small percentage for that purchase. I pick the best products, vendors and deals I can find!
Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
Powered by FeedBurner
If you are going to feature content from LA-Story.com including images, podcasts or videos including the accompanying text, please respect copyright provisions. We require a notation of content origination (meaning credit tag), a linkback to the specific page & please email the link to stevie@la-story.com before the piece goes live. LA-Story.com, LA-Story Recessionista, Celebrity Stylescope, Celebrity Style Slam Trademark/Copyright KBP Inc, 2019
