Hosting a Honey Tasting Party
If there is a trend for 2011, it’s tasting parties and to push it even further, Food and Wine Magazine listed “homemade honey” as a top trend in 2011, specifically starting in May. The following are guidelines, tasting notes, pairing ideas which will ultimately help you set the stage to host a Honey Tasting Party in your own home.
Hosting a Honey Tasting Party
Varietal Honeys
Start with the main ingredient: honey. You’ll want to showcase and highlight it at its prime so choose to serve and taste a reasonable amount. Consider tasting 4-6 varieties as to not overwhelm your palate. Consider purchasing varietal honeys from around the country that have specific flavors present.
After purchasing your honey, transfer each honey into a tasting container. This is where you can get really creative! You’ll want to find containers that highlight the color, clarity and consistency of the honey. Think small champagne glasses, cute ramekins, or you can even serve on small plates that offer dividers, such as these ceramic palettes. Have small plastic spoons for guest to dip in the honey.
More Than Just Honey
Not only will your party be about the honeys, but you’ll learn about great foods to pair with honey. When pairing foods and condiments, you are either searching for a perfect balance, harmonious flavors that complement each other. Other times, you want to shock you palate and present it with intense flavors that are balanced out with exact opposites.
Pairing Ideas for Tasting Varietal Honeys
Cheeses
- Blue Cheeses, such as Roquefort will be balanced out with a nutty honey, such as our White Honey
- Hard Cheeses, such as Parmesano-Reggiano, pair nicely with herbal honey
- Soft Cheeses, such as Ricotta and Burrata, go well with honeys with citrus undertones. Try the Chamiso “Rabbit Brush” Honey
- Stinky but delicious cheeses, such as an Époisses de Bourgogne can be paired with a honey with some muskiness such as our Colorado Clover Honey.
Bread and Crackers
- Great vehicle for honey, dipping bread into warmed honey is a simple pleasure. Taste some local sourdough bread with a honey that will pop, such as Grampa’s Tamarisk Honey
Chocolate
- Balance the sweetness of certain honeys with a dark 70% or more chocolate bar.
Charcuterie
- Smoked, Salted or Cured meats are a perfect choice when pairing honey because of their opposite flavors and each balancing each other out.
Desserts
- Sweet items should be prepared beforehand and served accordingly. Highlight not only the honey flavor, but play on the texture and viscosity of it as well. Some sweet treats to try: Baklava, Honey Caramels or Fritters in Honey Syrup.
Liquid Pairings
Not only can you pair honey with solid foods, you can also pair honeys with beverages. Use it as a natural substitute for simple syrup in drinks. Not only will you use much less, but your flavors will be heightened by the natural syrup. Showcase drinks with seasonal fruits and herbs, like mojitos and sweeten them with honey. Your guests will be surprised and you’ll even be improving their health. Here are some drinks to serve: Mojitos, Mint Juleps, and Sangria.
Party Set-up
- Glassware/Serving Pieces: Choose glassware according to beverages served. As for serving pieces, each guest should receive their own palette of honeys, going from lightest in colors to deepest in color.
- Have glass water pitchers for guests to clean their palates between tastings.
- Develop a Honey Tasting Notes worksheet or use this one to track your favorites, jot down perfect (or horrible) pairings and to take notes of flavors!
Honey Tasting Notes Template
Remember the party is about discovering your favorite honeys, pairings and learning about varietal honey as a new staple in your kitchen!
20 Comments → “Hosting a Honey Tasting Party”
Leave a Reply
Also Available:
Varietal Honey Sampler
Great for allergies too!
Our Non-Scientific Poll:
Loading ...
Twitter Updates
Recent Blog Posts
-
[...]Mar 21, 11 am
-
We spent the last week building lots of frames with the high hope of a good spring. This was the inspector doing her [...]Mar 11, 08 pm
-
Grampa’s Gourmet is proud to be able to offer nucleus colonies "nucs" for sale this year. Buy Bees from Grampa's [...]Dec 16, 12 pm
This sounds delicious and I'm sure it would go great with wine too! I think it would be a great summer party to throw. I'm going to add it to my list!
Really, there should be a honey-cheese-wine 3-way tasting party!
I do love honey. We used to use it as one of the pairings on our cheese plate. Tasting different honeys side by side sounds like one of the best party ideas possible. I really like pairing options listed as well–I might not have thought to pair it w/charcuterie, but then again, I like maple syrup and bacon.
I think the best idea might be using it in beverages. I bet the differences among the honeys is really evident when dissolved in the same liquid base. Very cool
Really great read and made me think about honey as more than something to gloop in tea – Have got me thinking about hosting my own little party. @listproducer – great idea for the wine and honey tasting – I feel like like a bee now…bzzzz
I don't think I would have thought about doing a Honey Tasting Party on my own, but it sounds like fun! I think you've developed a great 'game plan' for exploring the different pairings and nuances that honey can bring to the table. One of the best duck dishes I ever ate was a whole duck thrice baked to render the fat then covered in a honey,soy,&garlic sauce. It was awesome!
I also like the idea of using in beverages. Would like to experiment with some smoothies/frozen drinks!
I think my biggest drawback would be finding enough local VARITIES. Seems like all I see is clover honey but, in all honesty, I don't look that close, so I could be wrong =) All in all sounds like a great and fun idea!!!
You're right, finding a good honey source with true varietals (vs the generic "clover" or non-descriptive "wildflower") is pretty tough in some areas – but well worth the effort!
Also the honey as a ingredient for a BBQ sauce or other meat marinate is very popular – and delicious!
Honey Tasting Party! What a wonderful idea! I love honey! I was brought up on honey, during my childhood most of the days I would eat fresh bread with butter and honey, and drink a glass of hot milk with it. My dad was crazy about good honey, he would always bring it from his travels around the country. We learned to use honey in drinks, in salads, for baking and cooking.
One of the drinks I love is Honey Brandy! Here is how you make it: dissolve 2 tbsp of honey in ½ liter of water. Pour into a shaker, add a few ice cubes, ¼ liter of brandy, a few tablespoons of cream. Mix thoroughly by shaking. :)
Thanks for the recipe. I need better explore the "honey in cocktails" category of recipes – because I think there is a lot of fascinating stuff going on there.
I love that your dad would buy honeys from around the country – how fun!
Lovely article! a very creative and healthy way to entertain… I would do a mix of desserts and cocktails… Honey infused Mojitos :)
I love honey! I used to get honey sticks at a store near my house growing up all the time. They had multiple flavors you could try.
This is so cool.. I didn't know you can creat your own honey!! really nice post..!!
What a delicious post! I absolutely love the idea of a honey tasting party! It's also a terrific way of showcasing local honey sellers!
One of my favorite things to drizzle honey over is Vanilla Bean Ice Cream! The honey's consistency becomes slightly hardened almost like a caramel.
I will definitely keep this idea in the front of my party planning book!
Thank you.
I love love love the consistency of "cold" honey – very thick and viscous – like liquid candy.
I've never been to a honey tasting party but I want to host one! I've been to an olive oil tasting and wine tasting and LOTS of food tastings. :)
Is water enough to cleanse the palate between tastings?
I was wondering about the water too. But honey is so intense anything else might try and compete with it or the pairing.
A honey tasting party is a great idea and a great way to showcase new items. Hopefully I can get the chance to host/attend one soon! Love the drink ideas too :)
I can't think of anything that would work better than water. I was about to suggest wine – but that's too much taste-bud stimulation.
A honey-tasting party? What a fun idea! Since I love cheese, I can't wait to try your cheese and honey pairing suggestions. Of course, the idea from Easton_Place (above) for drizzling honey over vanilla bean ice cream sounds ridiculously good too.
I've visited Grampa's Gourmet Honey. (The San Luis Valley is one of my favorite areas.) But it's been too long. I need to restock!
Let me know when you're in the area again – we'll arrange for a honey house/beekeeping visit!
Same cocktail, but made using different varietal honeys!
Honey is amazing. A honey-tasting party?! Even better! This is a really informative and well thought out post. Thanks for all the delicious ideas. I'm going to suggest it to my wife and do it soon!
Very different and unique way of inviting someone to your house!