Like your drinks sweet, spicy and seriously on-trend? We have 12 of the best recipes for you.
Open up TikTok – or if you were born before the 2000s, Instagram Reels – and you’ll notice a hot trend that’s been making the rounds. Nope, it’s not another 30-second “dance” routine or a Jet2holiday montage (yes, Karen, we know airports are stressful). Look closer. Literally everything is dripping in hot honey. And it’s been that way for the good part of two years – so much so that even the big dawgs like Maccas are slinging their own version.
But what is it? Is it just warmed-up honey? Is it spicy? Okay, here’s the breakdown. Hot honey is exactly what it sounds like – honey that’s been introduced to its spicy side. You can either toss some chili flakes into a jar of the sweet stuff and let it mingle, or heat it all together for a more syrupy situation. Two ingredients. That’s it. No tricks, no 12-step process, just honey and chillies dirty dancing. And if you’re making it yourself, you get to decide how hot you like it, too.
Sweet meets heat. Not exactly groundbreaking (see: Spicy Margarita, sweet chilli sauce, ingredients to make the Powerpuff Girls – IYKYK), but don’t let that stop you. The combo just works. It hits that little corner of your brain that says “yes” before you’ve even swallowed. Is it reinventing the wheel? No. Can it give your cocktails an interesting spicy twist? Absolutely. Here’s how we’re using it in 12 of our favourite recipes.
A proud alumna of Cuban cocktail culture, the Air Mail is like that well-travelled cousin who studied abroad and came back just a little fancier. It’s got the tropical backbone of a Daiquiri – gold rum and lime – but then takes a sharp left into luxury with a splash of Champagne and 20mL of honey syrup. Think French 75 meets Havana happy hour.
Now, if your honey syrup (two-parts honey to one-part boiling water) happens to include a little chili infusion, then congrats – you’ve made a Spicy Air Mail. Not traditional, but neither is filming your cocktail from three angles in a mason jar. The point is that hot honey works here. Sweet, citrusy and fizzy, with a flicker of heat — like holidaying in Portugal: very now, very delicious.
A vague but intriguing name? This cocktail must be a Matty Stirling special. The Crimes of Passion is the perfect excuse to experiment with hot honey. It sits firmly in the Sour family, proudly flaunting its citrus core. And its closest cousin? The iconic Tommy’s Margarita. Like a Tommy’s, it brings that bold lime sourness, but takes a detour with three power moves: honey, mezcal and passionfruit.
Swap in hot honey and suddenly you’ve got a smoky, spicy twist that edges it even closer to everyone’s fave: the Spicy Marg. Honey and passionfruit give it a sherbety lift, mezcal brings the smoke, lime keeps it sharp, and the hot honey? That’s the kicker.
The most iconic of the honey cocktails, is of course the Bees Knees. So iconic, we probably should have stuck it right up at number 1. Dating back to the roaring 1920s, The Bee’s Knees is a simple trio of gin, lemon and honey syrup. It’s the kind of cocktail that doesn’t need to shout to be noticed. Turning that honey syrup into a hot honey syrup gives this drink a solid kick, without being overpowering. It’s fresh, it’s zesty, a touch spicy and it absolutely shines as an aperitif.
A simple mix of whiskey, lemon, honey and boiling water, the Hot Toddy is proof that sometimes the old ways really are the best ways. It’s a cold-weather classic – the kind of drink that shows up right when you need it on a chilly night in. But swap out that regular honey for hot honey? Now we’re talking. Suddenly, it’s not just cosy, it’s caliente. It’s bold. It’s trending. It’s The Devil Wears Prada 2. It’s the Extra Hot Toddy.
That spicy little upgrade doesn’t just warm you up, but it also shakes things up with a modern twist that drags the Toddy into the here and now. Vintage vibes, but with a little extra pow!
This is basically a Bee’s Knees, but with a little passion. The Suntoucher shakes up gin, honey and lemon juice, and then adds 15mL of passionfruit liqueur for a tropical glow-up. It’s the old-school cocktail you know and love, but with a fruity summer fling layered in.
Want to take it even further? Swap in that hot honey we’ve been banging on about, and suddenly this innocent little number turns complex, textured and just a touch dangerous. Sweet, tart, floral, spicy – the whole vibe shifts, but it’s still light and refreshing, too.
If you’re into Scotch whisky, ginger, and hot honey then buckle up because this cocktail’s speaking your love language. Say g’day to our hot honey spin on the modern classic: the Penicillin.
You’ve got the essentials – Islay Scotch float, ginger syrup, blended Scotch, lemon juice – but now with hot honey shaken in. It’s the same smoky-citrus comfort you know, just with a fiery twist. Now, we hear you: “Spicy ginger and spicy chilli? Isn’t that a bit much?” To which we politely say, have you ever eaten literally any Thai dish? These two were made for each other.
We’ve got a soft spot for turning pantry staples into cocktails — why else would we grate Parmesan onto an Espresso Martini? (We did. It slapped.) Summer in Seoul is another foodie drink that absolutely delivers. Here’s the line-up: soju, pineapple juice, lime, honey syrup, fresh mint, and, plot twist, gochujang. Yep, the Korean fermented chilli paste usually destined for bibimbap is now starring in your shaker. Sweet, spicy, savoury and weirdly addictive.
Want to turn up the heat? Swap that honey syrup for hot honey. The gochujang’s bold spice still leads, but the hot honey adds a slightly fresher kick that cuts through the sweetness like a pro.
Another foodie drink, another love letter to the chilli fiends out there. Enter: Lao Gan Ma – the ultimate chilli oil. The alpha, the omega, the reason your condiment shelf exists. Hot honey might be trending, but Lao Gan? She’s timeless. She is the moment.
Now combine Lao Gan and hot honey, and boom: spicy, hot news, and completely irresistible. The swap of regular honey syrup for hot honey syrup is flavour fireworks. Sweet, spicy, savoury, icy – and just unhinged enough to be iconic. Honey, this one is the party.
