Raise a toast to National Honey Bee Day

National Honey Bee Day is a reminder to celebrate those important pollinators.

Simply stated, it’s all about the bees on National Honey Bee Day. According to honeylove.org, those buzzing insects are responsible for 1/3 of the food that we eat. While this day is meant to raise awareness, it is also a good excuse to eat some honey and foods that help the honey bees.

Looking around, there are many ways to support bee keepers and bee friendly environments. While some local bee keepers often sell their honey, there are a variety of ways to incorporate some bee-friendly foods into a National Honey Bee celebration.

Haagen-Dazs has several flavors of ice cream that feature the Xerces Bee Better seal. The company focused on efforts to plant almond trees to support a bee rich environment and fostered bee friendly practices. That special bee certification is a badge that the ice cream brand wears proudly.

For National Honey Bee Day, why not enjoy some Save the Bees ice cream options. From a Vanilla Swiss Almond to even a Lemon Sorbet, these Haagen-Dazs ice creams are good for the bees.

Another easy example is to add some local honey to a cheese plate. A lovely California cheese paired with a local honey accentuates the flavors. For example, the pungent blue cheese from Point Reyes is a wonderful choice to pair with a wildflower honey.

Of course, honey is easily incorporated into a beverage. Although a cup of tea and honey is often an obvious choice, it isn’t the only beverage that gets a boost from honey.

For National Honey Bee Day, ABERFELDY create a celebrated cocktail called the Herbed Honey Smash. While the cocktail is a delicious sipper, ABERFELDY is supporting the Gardening Giveback Project which will help local beekeepers.

Here’s how to make a Herbed Honey Smash Cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Aberfeldy 12 Single Malt Scotch
• 1.5 oz Lemon juice (or about half a lemon squeezed)
• 1 oz honey syrup
• *Honey Syrup: 100g of honey and 64g water, stir and leave to chill. Note: syrup will only last 3 days
• 4-6 leaves of soft herb (basil, mint, tarragon, etc.)

Method:

Add all ingredients to a shaker tin with ice. Shake vigorously and strain using a fine mesh strainer into a small rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with your fresh herb of choice and enjoy!

This cocktail can be served all year round. A variety of soft herbs can be used. The different herbs will bring out different flavor combinations.

Also, the herbs can infuse their flavor into the honey, itself. Consider a little mint honey for your tea or even a mint julep.

Whether you raise a glass, enjoy a scoop of ice cream or just a spoonful of honey, take a moment to celebration National Bee Day. Without the bees, the table would be less bountiful.

How do you use honey in recipes or cocktails?