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Frustrated by Denver’s lack of Jun and kava? Worry no more: Honey Elixir Bar opens in RiNo later this month to satisfy all of your conscious-shifting beverage cravings.
Jocasta Hanson was on her way to graduate school to study transpersonal therapy when tragedy struck: Her best friend, Matt Lackey, formerly the executive chef at Arcana, died in a climbing accident on Mount Princeton.
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“That just completely sidetracked everything. There was a lot of grief and processing, and it took my focus elsewhere, and this [Honey Elixir Bar] developed,” Hanson says.
With the goal of combining her passion for health, wellness, and connection with her 20 years of restaurant industry experience, Hanson created a concept that didn’t yet exist in Denver.
The “elixir” part of Honey includes drinks that are familiar—like kombuchas, smoothies, and house-made chai—as well as others that might be new to you. Take Jun, a fermented tea that’s a sort-of cousin to kombucha, which also happens to be alcoholic. Besides being packed with probiotics, Jun can boost energy levels and the immune system, and many find its delicate flavor more palatable than that of kombucha.
Other drinkable libations include cacao (downright crammed with antioxidants) and kava (a calm inducer); if you stop by Honey on a Sunday night, you’ll find bottomless cacao and kava (and, presumably, endless antioxidants and relaxation) for $33.
There’s a “bar” component to Honey as well, which means healthy-ish cocktails made with all sorts of therapeutic potions, like the Liquid Lycium, a blend of tequila, turmeric bitters, ginger, maple syrup, goji, and lemon juice. (There’s a mocktail menu for those wanting to go even further down the road to wellness.)
“The structure of our cocktails will be based on the classics, but they’ll have spins with new ingredients,” Hanson says. “We’re calling on a totally unique pantry of ingredients that a lot of bars don’t have access to.”
Besides the drinks, Hanson will serve good-for-you snacks like salads, chia pudding, overnight oats, and appropriately, a botanical honey sampler. Also, since this is 2019, you’ll be able to add CBD honey or oil to just about anything.
If all goes to plan, you can go Jun wild at Honey in late September.
2636 Walnut St.
