Post #482863 by Chip and Andy on Fri, Sep 11, 2009 12:37 PM

On 2009-09-11 06:51, Trader Magnus wrote:
Wouldn't it be easier to use liquid honey or Monin honey syrup?

Sure!

But what else is in those bottles? If they contain more than just Honey and Water then you are adding stuff to your cocktail that you may not want.

Honey is one of those oddities of the food world... on its own it won't spoil. Ever.

It is, however, very temperature sensitive. Pouring over the ice in your shaker tends to make dense globs of honey that don't mix into the cocktail very well, or at all.

Making a Honey Mix or Honey Syrup is actually a cocktail makers cheat. By adding water to your honey you dilute it enough so that it doesn't gum up over the ice in your shaker or blender. All you have to do is pour your honey in your shaker or blender, add some (or all) of the liquid ingredients and stir, then add your ice and shake or blend.

If your making 900 drinks an hour at a busy bar, that two-step process can really slow you down. If your making a dozen drinks for you and your bar mate(s) for the evening then the extra step doesn't really matter.

What? So what's all the hubbub about Honey Mix?

If you are trying to recreate a drink the way they 'used to do it' then you want to try and use the ingredients the way 'they' did, and that means using a honey mix or honey syrup. Once you have a grasp of the ingredients and why they are there in the amounts they are there then you should be pretty comfortable with working out how much straight honey to use to get the same effect in your glass thereby exempting you from all of this discussion about honey and water ratios and whatever else goes along with it.