Honeycomb is a true marvel of nature. A mass of hexagonal cells is created with wax and used to store honey and larvae for the humble bee. The Honeycomb is actually edible too and has a unique texture.
We can also class this as a wax wash (similar to fat washing) due to the mouth-feel found after infusing in your chosen alcohol. An aged rum, like Doorly’s XO, has a delicious flavour profile that very much suits honeycomb.
The sweet spices and tropical fruit found is a beautiful marriage. Similar to bee pollen, honeycomb can be purchased online all year round. But for that extra personal twist, I would definitely use some from a local beekeeper.
It should be noted that honeycomb is always safely extracted from hives without causing any harm to the bees. The Honey is extracted with safe practices and it does encourage the bees to produce new honey in replacement of old.
However, worldwide bee colony collapse is not so much of a mystery. There has always been a natural winter die-off rate however these numbers are becoming drastically high.
The US alone has lost 90% of its colonies since 1962, this is mainly due to pesticide use and a change in global temperature. There are some who are there to support our pollinating friends.
Max Curzon Price, the 2019 Canadian World Class winner, has created a program named ‘Hive of Apiarists’ looking to engage bartenders in supporting local cultivation of beehives, therefore, promoting biodiversity.
His winning cocktail Plight of the Bumblebee can be read about here with information on how you can colonize and support your own bee community.
You can hear about this further on our podcast On The Back Bar when we asked Max to join us as a guest.
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