Tip Your Bartender is a social media initiative from PUNCH connecting our readers with bar teams across the country via Instagram. We’re asking select bartenders to share their drinks (albeit virtually) and encourage the PUNCH audience to “tip” during the economically uncertain times ahead.
Between March 30th and May 29th, for every dollar tipped to bar teams, the Bacardi family of brands has generously committed to matching it with an equal gift to our charitable partner, Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation.
Send a tip to the Kingfisher bar staff via Venmo by searching @kingfisherdurham.
Bee Durham
Sean Umstead and Michelle Vanderwalker, Kingfisher | Durham, North Carolina
The Bee Durham is Kingfisher’s signature and most popular cocktail. The nuanced riff on the Bee’s Knees calls on wax-washed gin as the base spirit, a simple and inventive technique for added texture.
2 ounces beeswax-infused Bombay Sapphire gin (see Editors’ Note)
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
¾ ounce honey syrup (see Editors’ Note)
Garnish: lemon peel or lemon wheel
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until chilled. Double-strain into a ceramic cup or rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon peel or lemon wheel.
Editors’ Note
Beeswax-Infused Gin
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add ½ ounce of food-grade beeswax to a 16-ounce Mason jar. Seal jar finger-tight. Add jar to boiling water. (The jar will float.) When the beeswax has melted, remove from water with canning tongs. Place jar on its side onto a clean dish towel and gently roll the jar back and forth with another dish towel until the wax has coated the sides of the jar. Once the wax has solidified, add gin up to the neck of the jar, reserving some airspace at the top. There is no need to coat the top, but if some gets on it, it is fine. Let Bombay Sapphire steep for a minimum of 3 days. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
Honey Syrup
To make honey syrup, combine 2 parts honey with 1 part hot water in a jar or bowl. Shake or stir to dissolve completely. Kingfisher recommends using a floral, lighter honey.
Order ingredients for this cocktail for delivery via Drizly.
