We see lots of new openings in the city, but this one’s a bit different. Husband-and-wife beekeeping team Alistair and Noemi Bell are opening Apiary, a cafe and cocktail bar inspired by all things honey and bees.
The bee-loving couple will open their new dog-friendly venture on the site of what was Velvet Jack’s bar on Western Road on Wednesday 15th May, serving coffee and small plates by day and speciality cocktails by night.
The reference to bees isn’t just in the name, though (an apiary is where bee hives are kept): honey, bee pollen and honeycomb will feature as ingredients or inspiration in their cocktails and food, and there will be a concise mead [honey wine] list, as well as a wine list on offer.
They’ve already teased some of the cocktails on social media and we love the sound of the spring-like Crocus (Beesou aperitif, bee pollen and saffron liqueur, sarsaparilla bitters and honey paint dusted with pollen) and the honey-laced Honeygroni (pictured right and left above). Bee-autiful!
The full menus are currently under wraps as chefs Ruth Barkley and Jordan Rickwood are finalising dishes in the kitchen, but the sample small-plate photos we were sent are looking mighty tasty. Hardly surprising given the owners’ hospitality pedigree. They met working at Brighton’s Artist Residence hotel (Alistair was the bartender at the Cocktail Shack) and Alistair’s since worked for local restaurant groups (Flint House, Black Rock Group) while Noemi’s background is in events and wine, she’s currently at Wanderlust.
They hope to also have a small lifestyle selection in store and create a buzz with other bee-based products, such as beeswax candles and bee bombs (to attract flowers).
But where did it all begin? The couple’s beekeeping passion started during lockdown. Alistair had previously done a beekeeping course in Canada and in 2020, Noemi did a hive-keeping course at Plumpton College and they came up with the idea of making honey as “a sort of money-making plan B”. They found some land, set up some hives in Peacehaven and made their first batch of wildflower honey in the summer of 2021.
Hungarian-born Noemi (Hungary is known for its natural honey) then had the brainwave of combining their honey with a bar, something Alistair has always wanted to do.
“I’ve wanted to open a bar since I first picked up a cocktail shaker,” he told BOTI.
Alistair and Noemi are involved every step of the way, collecting the honey from the hives themselves – in beekeeping suits, of course – and, surprisingly, have only been badly stung once.
“I got stung on the chin when I was leaning forward on the second or third hive inspection and ended up with a swollen turkey neck,” Alistair said.
The couple are putting the final touches to the bar this week ahead of Apiary’s opening on Wednesday 15th May at 10am.
50 Norfolk Square, Brighton, BN1 2PA
Wednesday – Sunday; 10am – 11pm
apiary.co.uk
