Bees Knees Cocktail
A Bees Knees (or Bee's Knees) is a Prohibition Era cocktail made with gin, fresh lemon juice, and honey. It is served shaken and chilled, often with a lemon twist.
Equipment
- 1 Standard Cocktail Shaker
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 Martini Glass or Coupe
Ingredients
Honey Syrup
- 3/4 oz Honey
- 1/4 oz Water
Cocktail
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 2 oz Gin
- 1 Lemon Twist For Garnish You could also use a single sprig of fresh time as a garnish.
Instructions
Make The Honey Syrup
- Combine the honey & water in the small saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir until the honey has dissolved, and the moisture has evaporated and it becomes a syrup, about 5 minutes.
Combine Into The Cocktail
- If using a lemon twist as a garnish, before juicing the lemon, use a vegetable peeler to peel off a strip of zest for your twist.
- To make the cocktail, fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the honey syrup, lemon juice, and gin. Securely fasten the lid and shake until the mixture is very cold about 30 seconds.
- Strain the drink into a coupe or martini glass. Twist the lemon peel over the cocktail to release some of its oils, then drop it in. Enjoy while cold.
Notes
Bees Knees Cocktail Variations Include:
- A Bee's Knees cocktail made with gin, 1:1 honey syrup, and lemon juice
- Barr Hill Gin is sometimes recommended for its honey infusion, though other gins may be used
- The honey may be diluted 1:1 with warm water to thin the consistency.
- The honey may be diluted 1:1 with simple syrup instead of water.
- A sprig of basil or thyme may be used for garnish instead of lemon peel.
- Some variations contain orange juice
- Add 2 dashes of absinthe and 2 dashes of orange bitters to make a variation called "Oldest Living Confederate Widow"
- Add 1 oz James Bay Distillers' Finocchietto and lemonade (or a lemon soda) to taste, for a "2/3 Holy" cocktail featuring anise and fennel (without the last 1/3 of absinthe's "holy trinity" of botanicals).