Sipsmith Hot Honey Gin

Sipsmith Hot Honey was made as a limited release around the contrast of local honey, citrus and chilli. The distillery partnered with the Room2 hotel in Chiswick to gather honey from its rooftop hives. Its recipe brings marigolds, bee pollen, orange blossom and chillies together in an experimental still; after the botanicals macerate overnight, fermented chilli extract and honey are added. It is bottled at 40% ABV, and Sipsmith itself calls it a gin liqueurGin liqueurGin sweetened and often fruit-flavoured, at 15% ABV or more. Sweeter and lighter than a gin.Glossary.

Limited Edition · Spicy · Floral

The tasting notes begin with citrus and soft floral aromas. Honey and orange blossom shape the palate, with a creamy texture, while the chilli builds gradually rather than arriving as an immediate sharp burn. The finish carries lingering honeycomb and increasing spice. Marigold and bee pollen support the floral direction, and the added honey rounds the spirit. The product's sweetness and liqueur designation set it apart from Sipsmith's dry ginDry ginGin with no perceptible sweetness: in the European Union, the word "dry" allows at most 0.1 g of sugar per litre.GlossarySee Dry gin gins styles, even though gin remains the foundation.

The producer suggests first tasting 50 ml over ice, then offers the Bee Sting cocktail. Shake 3.5 cl Hot Honey with 1.5 cl triple sec, a teaspoon of honey and 1.5 cl lime juice. Strain into a rocks glassRocks glassA short, heavy glass (tumbler) for a spirit over a large ice cube or a short cocktail.Glossary over fresh ice and finish with a honeycomb shard. Sipsmith's recipe also calls for chilli salt; a light rim on half the glass lets each guest control the extra heat.

Hot Honey is therefore best approached as a sweet-spiced gin liqueur for sipping or mixing, not as a conventional London Dry GinLondon DryA style, not a place of origin: every flavour comes from distilling natural botanicals. After distillation only water and a trace of sugar may be added, with no flavouring or colouring.GlossarySee London Dry gins. Its local honey and the combination of orange blossom, citrus and fermented chilli give it a clear seasonal identity, and the honey comes from the same west London neighbourhood as Sipsmith's own distillery in Chiswick. The Bee Sting concentrates those same contrasts: honey sweetness, lime acidity and a warm finish.