Hokey Pokey

The Hokey Pokey Cocktail

A puzzle with a bottle opener gets to join the short list of perfect ‘boxes and booze boxes” or in this case, “locks and libations locks”. At first I thought I should pair this lock with a beer, or a beer cocktail. It’s still a great idea, and one you can easily try yourself, especially if you have one of these locks. You’ve got to do something with that opener, right? But instead I went with a rather decadent choice, because why not. In additional to the song, dance, and now lock, Hokey Pokey is also the name of the most popular flavor of ice cream in New Zealand. It’s a rich and creamy vanilla ice cream mixed with crunchy crumbly bits of honeycomb candy, which is a light and fluffy toffee made from golden syrup, a lighter version of caramel. Honeycomb candy is full of airy pockets and crevices which look like a honeycomb. It’s also sometimes called, you guessed it, Hokey Pokey. I made a cocktail version of the ice cream, despite the fact that neither Hokey Pokey or golden syrup are readily available in the United States. But sugar and water are, so Bob’s your uncle. I whipped up a batch of the syrup, turned it into honeycomb candy, and mixed a cocktail. Or really more a dessert. It was delicious, and made me feel better about this wonderfully tricky puzzle lock and that damn song playing over and over in my head.

Buttery bourbon and toffee will do quite nicely

We all have a passion, whether it's boxes, booze, or something far less exciting. But it's the people behind the passions who really matter. After all, that’s what it’s all about. Cheers!

This pair is okey dokey

The Hokey Pokey

1 oz bourbon

1 oz heavy cream

1 oz golden syrup

2 dashes aromatic bitters

Honeycomb candy crumbles

Combine ingredients together with ice and … you guessed it … shake it all about. Strain into a favorite glass and crumble more honeycomb on top.

Cheers!