This bee-powered ingredient adds pizzazz to sweet and savory dishes
Whether it’s drizzled in drinks, glistening on cinnamon rolls, or glazing spicy strips of bacon, the secret ingredient that adds a complex sweetness to so many dishes is honey.
The folks at Savannah Bee Company say there is much more to honey recipes than the bear-shaped plastic bottles in the grocery store, which often contain corn syrup or other filler ingredients.
Savannah Bee Company, founded by lifelong beekeeper Ted Dennard in 2002, has grown to 13 locations nationwide, and only sells pure, natural honey. Each shop features the award-winning main line as well as its own local honey, so the Greenville store, which opened in 2021, offers honey made by bees right here in the Upstate.
Local honey has pollen from local flowers, which can help people acclimate to those pollens and “help get you through allergy season,” says Patrick Johnson, manager of the Greenville store.
The bestseller at his shop is sourwood honey, which always sells out quickly. “Tupelo honey is also popular, but in the South, sourwood has a huge following,” Johnson says. Contrary to its name, which comes from the sourwood trees that provide the nectar, sourwood honey offers a complex sweetness with hints of maple and spice.
The other top seller of late is hot honey, which is a blend of wildflower honey and scotch bonnet and habanero peppers. Asked what it’s good on, Johnson says the more accurate question is, “What is it NOT good on? I love it on chicken, or on pizza, but my favorite is roasted brussels sprouts with hot honey,” he says.
A rotating variety of whipped honeys, including flavors like lemon and chocolate, is perfect on toast or stirred into coffee or tea. “When you whip honey, it gives it a frosting-like texture,” Johnson says. “People love that texture.”
If you’re not sure where to start, practically everything in the store is available to sample. Johnson suggests trying the honey varieties and then heading to the back of the shop to try the selection of mead, an alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast.
“Mead is the oldest alcohol on the face of the planet, predating beer and wine by thousands of years,” he says. Savannah Bee Co. showcases several local selections, including offerings from Greenville’s own Wandering Bard Meadery and Bee Town Mead from Bluffton, South Carolina.
From local welcome gifts to moisturizing soaps, the shop offers a wealth of items you won’t find anywhere else, Johnson says. But the No. 1 reason people keep coming back is the honey—especially when they discover the variety of flavors it can impart and the wealth of recipes, from soups to desserts to drinks, that can be improved with a flavorful flourish.
Honey Recipes
Honey Paloma
Similar to a margarita, this tart, grapefruit-infused, pink-hued cocktail gets a unique twist from honey simple syrup and one-of-a-kind ice cubes.
- ¼ cup Savannah Bee Company Orange Blossom Honey or your favorite honey
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup fresh ruby red grapefruit juice
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup white tequila
- Flaky sea salt mixed with a spice rub
- 1 cup sparkling water
- Grapefruit and lime wedges for garnish
Make the Honey Simple Syrup: Combine the honey and water in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook until the honey dissolves. Set aside to cool completely (place over an ice water bath for faster cooling).
Make the Palomas: In each of four glasses, combine 1 tablespoon simple syrup, ¼ cup grapefruit juice, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and ¼ cup tequila. Pour into salt-rimmed, ice-filled glasses and top each with ¼ cup sparkling water.
To Serve: Garnish each drink with grapefruit wedges and lime wheels.
Drink tip:
Freeze honeycomb pieces to use as ice cubes. As they begin to melt, they don’t water your drink down, and instead impart a tasty sweetness.
Hot Honey Glazed Bacon Recipe
(crispy thick cut bacon + spicy kick)
Serves 4-6
What you need:
12 slices smoked thick-cut bacon
⅓ cup Savannah Bee Company® Hot Honey
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake Bacon: Place bacon on a prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Cook until beginning to render fat (about 10 minutes).
- Heat Honey: While bacon is cooking, add the hot honey to a small saucepan over low heat and cook just until heated through and a thinner consistency.
- Finish Bacon: Remove bacon from the oven and brush the strips liberally with the hot honey. Return to the oven and roast until crispy and deeply caramelized (about 10–15 minutes). The bacon will crisp as it cools. For extra honey heat, turn the strips halfway through the roasting process, and brush the other side with the hot honey.
Pro Tip: For an extra pop of heat, sprinkle bacon with ¼ teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper as it is cooling.
Savannah Bee Company, 123 N. Main St., Greenville, 864.535.5482, savannahbee.com
