All the buzzzzz

June is National Pollinator Month. Celebrate all the winged things that keep us alive with an updated classic that’s the Apis patella.

Bees are some of the busiest pollinators on the planet, responsible for a third of the food we eat. That’s why Fairmont Hotels and Resorts have installed more than 40 apiaries at their properties around the world. At the Chateau Whistler, they’ve built a one-of-a-kind bee hotel designed to attract solitary pollinator bees. That’s the inspiration behind this update on the Prohibition-era cocktail, from the resort’s Mallard Lounge.

• 2 oz beeswax gin (see note)
• 0.25 oz vanilla syrup
• 0.25 oz simple syrup
• 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice

Dip the rim of a coupe or martini glass in lemon juice then again in dehydrated honey or granulated sugar. Add all ingredients to a martini shaker filled with ice, shake for 5 seconds, and strain into a rimmed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. Serves 1.

Note: To make the beeswax gin, add 1.5 oz food-friendly beeswax to 10 oz of gin (preferably Ungava) in a vacuum-sealed bag. Using a circulator, cook the gin sous vide for 2.5 hours at 68°C. (Alternatively, use a zip-lock bag and simmer it in a pot of water that does not exceed 70°C.) Cool the bag of gin in an ice bath, then strain through a coffee filter into a sterilized bottle. Will keep for several months.