Fairmont Olympic Releases Cider Made with Rooftop Honey

After five months of tweaking and eight batches of trials, the Fairmont Olympic's collaboration with Seattle Cider Company has arrived. Starting August 1, their Olympic Honey Cider, made with honey extracted from the Fairmont's rooftop apiary, will be available at the hotel's Shucker's and Terrace Lounge.

Chef Gavin Stephenson of the Fairmont's Georgian restaurant started keeping bees on the roof in 2009 after an apprenticeship with Corky Luster of the Ballard Bee Company. Since then, the project has grown to 15 hives producing around 600 pounds of honey each year. The honey has long been incorporated into the menu at The Georgian, as well as in a honey beer made through a partnership with Pike Brewing Company. Now, there's a cider, too.

To celebrate the cider's release, Stephenson has put together a five-course prix fixe dinner available at The Georgian throughout the month of August. Dubbed the "Extraction Menu" after the process of removing the honey from the hives, each course incorporates honey in some way. There's a roots salad with "products of the hive," pork belly glazed in maple honey with a truffle waffle, pastrami salmon and elotes with a drizzle of honey, and more. Diners can choose to pair the menu with wine, beer, or cider. The full menu, along with reservation information, is available on the Fairmont Olympic website.

If you're seeking the cider on its own, it will be available in The Georgian throughout August, and then sold permanently in the hotel's Terrace Lounge and Shucker's restaurant at $9 for a 22-ounce bottle.