The sunny color and refreshing citrus defines summer. Serve this lemonade cocktail at your next party, and treat your guests to a special rye that’s been infused with raw wildflower honey from the Catskills.
Once in the publishing biz, this Madridian got lured up to the Catskill Mountains and ended up staying. Enamored by the environs, and the life of bees, Claire Marin began her honey-making venture with a single bee kit—and now tends to over 300 beehives in Delaware, Sullivan, and Madison Counties in upstate New York. Now, with all this honey around, she got really creative.
Beginning with small batch, hand-packed honey she harvests a few times a year, her empire has expanded to include a special rye whiskey, which she infuses with late-summer honey. Catskill Provisions NY Honey Rye Whiskey exudes a smooth, rich flavor with notes of toffee, burnt orange peel and golden raisin. It won the gold medal in the Flavor/Infused Whiskey/Moonshine category at the Spirits International Prestige Awards in 2017.$44. a bottle. Hobnob obtained the recipe for a fresh summer cocktail, see Whiskey Ginger Lemonade with this post.
In addtion to the rye, the raw wildflower honey is the star ingredient in hand-rolled chocolate truffles, an apple cider vinegar and a ketchup. The Catskill Provisions community has grown to include locavore restaurants, hotels, and specialty stores whose shared goals include a commitment to sustainable, raw, organic, local food products. She’s also sweetly teamed up with a 4th generation maple farmer, in case you get tired of honey.
If you want to taste the rye in its environs, why not take a road trip upstate NY. You’ll find the rye at The Old North Branch Inn, North Branch NY, The Arnold House, and The DeBruce Hotel near Livingston Manor—all have charming guest accommodations as well. Some shops in the area: Spruce Home Goods in Callicoon; Narrowsburg Proper in Narrowsburg, NY is a lovely shop with gourmet condiments and home goods; Main Street Farm in Livingston Manor carries the honey along with other locally sourced products. Also check out The Katskeller restaurant, Narrowsburg Wines, and The Callicoon Wine Merchant.
Catskill Provisions, 244 Delaware Lake Rd, Long Eddy, NY. There is a distillery in the process of being built on the property, phase one will be completed Sept 15th in an existing barn. nyhoneyryewhiskey.com
