Cocktail of the Week: Sunday in Brooklyn Honeybear on Holiday

New York City’s millennial favourite, Sunday in Brooklyn, comes to London, bringing kitsch cocktails in novelty glassware with it…

Serving cocktails in jamjars is so last decade. We’ve all moved on from the ‘Cottagecore’ aesthetic of the 2010s, thankfully, so you’ll have to rummage a little deeper into the pantry if you want to be original with your drinkware. That is, unless you’re Brian Evans, New York mixology king who embraces the kitsch mid-century diner vibe and makes it his own.

Surely with one eye to Instagram, Evans dug out one of those bear-shaped squeezy honey bottles you see in American supermarkets like Wholefoods or Trader Joes and decided to fill it with his version of a rum daiquiri. It’s one of the signature drinks at the original Sunday in Brooklyn in Williamsburg, which has just launched an outpost in Notting Hill.

“I wanted to create a more session-able, low-ABV approach..”

“The whimsical serve in the cute honeybear jar is just the attention-grabbing cherry on top of a really epic drink,” Evans insists, telling Gentleman’s Journal about the cocktail. “The Honeybear on Holiday is essentially inspired by a classic Cuban daiquiri called the Hotel Nacional, which typically calls for Rum, Pineapple, Apricot, and Lime. I wanted to create a more session-able, low-ABV approach with a slightly savoury backbone — hence the honey, sherry, and cumin.”

With or without the honeybear, it’s a dangerously drinkable rum mix that is easy to recreate at home. Prepare the simple cumin honey in advance, and make this drink your new party trick until New York is back on the cards. Otherwise, head down to Notting Hill to see how it’s done.

How to make the Sunday in Brooklyn Honeybear on Holiday

Ingredients:

  • 22 ml Aged Rum (Plantation Isle of Fiji Rum)
  • 15 ml Amaro Montenegro
  • 15 ml Amontillado Sherry
  • 8 ml Apricot Liqueur
  • 15 ml Pineapple Juice
  • 15 ml Lime Juice
  • 15 mL Cumin Honey*
  • 3 ice cubes

*Cumin Honey:

  • 1 cup Honey
  • 1 cup Hot Water
  • 2 tbsp toasted cumin seeds

Method:

1. Make the cumin honey in advance – it’s super simple and ideal for a big batch of cocktails, though it will last in the fridge for at least two weeks.

2. Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a small saucepan, then combine with hot water and honey, and let simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes.

3. Let it cool, then strain cumin seeds and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

4. When you’re ready for the cocktails, combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake briefly for 5 seconds, for minimal dilution.

5. Strain into a honeybear jar (or regular highball glass) and pack with pebbled or crushed ice. Serve on a rocks glass filled with more crushed ice, and garnish with two pineapple fronds.

Want more mixology know-how? Here’s the Gentleman’s Journal A-Z of cocktails…

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