Have you heard the buzz?
Palette Bar & Grill, located at 901 E. Washington Ave. in Madison, is bringing back the “Farley Fly-By” for the third year in a row – a brightly colored cocktail that incorporates sustainable honey sourced from the Farley Center in Verona.
Palette Bar & Grill General Manager Bobby Gunther said the business celebrates the launch of the Farley Fly-By each year by hosting a cocktail hour. Unlike previous events, however, this year’s cocktail hour on Thursday, March 28 also served as a fundraiser to support the Farley Center’s Beekeeping Program.
While Palette Bar & Grill has always offered a rotating seasonal cocktail spread, it wasn’t until Gunther started making a bee’s knees cocktail at home – a drink with gin, lemon and honey – that he reached for Farley Center honey sitting on the shelf.
Palette Bar & Grill General Manager Bobby Gunther and Farley Center Program Director Caroline Farley show off a Farley Fly-By cocktail at a fundraising event on March 28.
“I was gobsmacked at how good it was, quality-wise,” he said.
Immediately after using the honey for a cocktail, Gunther contacted Farley Center Program Director Caroline Farley to discuss a potential partnership with the Beekeeping Program – a collaboration that has kept the Farley Fly-By on the restaurant’s seasonal menu to this day.
“It’s always great to (bring in) people, especially from the Farley Center, that are very like-minded individuals when it comes to their sustainability practices and things of that nature,” he said. “Getting a group of folks that are of similar mentality is fantastic.”
Gunther said the Farley Fly-By is a cross between a bee’s knees and an aviation cocktail, ultimately combining as a gin-based drink that is floral and slightly sweet.
“It’s gonna be floral first, so the big notes of floral on the front with a nice citrus blend in the middle so that it’s nice and balanced,” he said.
The Farley Fly-By has also evolved over the years. Last year, Palette Bar & Grill added a color-changing butterfly pea extract to the cocktail which gives it a bright purple appearance.
Gunther said the Farley Fly-By has been a top selling drink since its release, requiring anywhere from eight to 10 gallons of Farley Center honey each season. The community will have a chance to taste the Farley Fly-By at Palette Bar & Grill through the end of August.
