Hot honey adds chili heat to citrus, mint and fruit drinks. These five recipes give you a few ways to try it without adding spirits.
Check the ingredients first. A drink called a mocktail does not automatically contain only alcohol-free products. The formulas below have not been tested for this publication. Glass sizes and top-up amounts are unspecified, so they do not establish fixed yields or dilution.
This article links to our honey shop, which contains paid Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The credited photographs are editorial illustrations. They do not show these recipes being prepared or establish the pictured drinks’ alcohol content.
Sweetness, citrus and a little heat
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Hot honey brings sweetness and chili heat. Citrus adds tartness, mint adds aroma, and soda gives the drink bubbles. The balance will depend on your honey and how much mixer you add.
For guests, keep the ingredient labels available and let people choose their own drink. Honey-based drinks are not vegan, and their sweetness or chili level may not suit everyone.
Before you start: syrup and alcohol labels
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The recipes below use hot honey syrup, a diluted mixture that mixes more easily into cold drinks than undiluted honey.
Follow preparation and storage instructions for the syrup you use. Penn State explains that added moisture changes honey’s storage conditions. Plain honey’s pantry life does not establish a shelf life for diluted syrup. One producer’s honey-water syrup instructions call for refrigeration; that recipe does not validate these drinks or their storage time.
Read our hot honey syrup guide before mixing a batch.
Read ginger beer and bitters labels if you want to avoid adding alcohol. A maker’s ginger-beer range includes alcoholic and alcohol-free products, so the drink’s name alone is not enough.
Angostura’s 2023 annual report shows 44.7% alc./vol. on its aromatic bitters bottle. All The Bitter’s Old Fashioned Aromatic page states 0.0% ABV. These are manufacturer label references, not assurances about every bitters bottle or a finished drink. A small dash of alcoholic bitters still adds alcohol.
Five hot honey drinks
The amounts below are Teddy’s starting formulas. Use an alcohol-free ginger beer for the mule and bitters labeled 0.0% ABV for the Old-Fashioned-style drink. Check the exact bottles you use.
Hot Honey Mule
Ginger and lime give this drink its familiar mule flavors, with hot honey supplying sweetness and heat.
Ingredients
- 1 oz hot honey syrup
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- Alcohol-free ginger beer, to top up
- Lime wedge for garnish
Combine hot honey syrup and lime juice in a glass with ice. Top with ginger beer, stir, and garnish with a lime wedge.
Hot Honey Margarita Mocktail
Lime and orange juice make a citrus base. The chili-salt rim is optional.
Ingredients
- 1 oz hot honey syrup
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz orange juice
- Soda water
- Lime wheel and chili salt rim for garnish
If using a chili-salt rim, prepare it first. Mix hot honey syrup, lime juice, and orange juice in a shaker with ice. Strain into the glass, top with soda water, and garnish.
Hot Honey Old-Fashioned Twist
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This is a honey-and-bitters soda inspired by an Old-Fashioned. Use bitters labeled 0.0% ABV to avoid adding alcohol from the bitters.
Ingredients
- 1 oz hot honey syrup
- 3 dashes aromatic bitters labeled 0.0% ABV
- Splash of sparkling water
- Orange twist for garnish
Stir hot honey syrup and bitters in a glass with ice. Add a splash of sparkling water, stir again, and garnish with an orange twist.
Hot Honey Mojito Mocktail
Mint and lime give this version a mojito’s familiar flavor combination.
Ingredients
- 1 oz hot honey syrup
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 6-8 mint leaves
- Soda water
- Mint sprig and lime for garnish
Muddle mint leaves, lime juice, and hot honey syrup in a glass. Add ice, top with soda water, and stir gently. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime slice.
Hot Honey Pineapple Sour
Pineapple juice supplies sweetness, lemon adds tartness, and the honey leaves a little chili heat.
Ingredients
- 1 oz hot honey syrup
- 2 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- Club soda
- Pineapple wedge for garnish
Shake hot honey syrup, pineapple juice, and lemon juice with ice. Strain into a glass with fresh ice, top with club soda, and garnish with a pineapple wedge.
Adjust the drink to your taste
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Taste before adding more syrup. Adjust your own serving before changing a whole pitcher.
- Read the honey, syrup, ginger beer and bitters labels, including alcohol information and allergens.
- Use a lime wheel, mint sprig or piece of pineapple to echo an ingredient in the glass.
- Add a little citrus for tartness or more soda to dilute sweetness. Taste as you go.
- Use chilled mixers and ice. Add carbonated mixers after shaking the other ingredients.
- Offer extra syrup separately and keep ingredient labels available for guests.
For a ready-made honey to use in your syrup, browse our hot honey shop. The shop’s paid links lead to Amazon; read our affiliate disclosure before buying.