Bee’s Knees on Ice

It’s a simple concoction of a smooth gin, delivering gorgeous notes of juniper and citrus, accented with freshly squeezed lemon and a splash of sweet honey syrup. Shake it, pour it up over a glass of ice then sit back and enjoy this vintage cocktail!

If you’re from the South chances are that you’re quite familiar with simple syrup. After all, you can’t make a decent sweet tea without it. But there’s another nectar infused syrup that you might not know about – honey syrup – and it’s the perfect touch for this fun cocktail!

The Bee’s Knees is a cocktail said to have originated during the days of Prohibition and simply made from gin, lemon and honey syrup.

The honey syrup is the twist in this cocktail, made just like simple syrup but subbing honey for the sugar. The honey melts into a naturally sweet liquid making it perfect for polishing up this cocktail.

Considered a member of the family of sour cocktails, recipes for a Bees’s Knees vary on the amount of honey syrup. Don’t be afraid to tweak it to get just the right taste for your palate. And though a Bee’s Knees is typically served shaken with ice, then served straight up in a coupe, summer months seem to beg for a really cold drink. So, scoop up some ice and serve this refreshing drink well chilled.

Quite simply it is the “bee’s knees” and it’s the best!

Bee’s Knees

For the honey syrup:

1-½ cups honey

1 cup water

Combine the honey and the water in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat stirring until the honey is melted into the water. Cool and refrigerate.

Makes about 2-1/4 cups of honey syrup.

For the cocktail:

2 ounces good gin, about 4 tablespoons

1-½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 1 small lemon

2 tablespoons honey syrup

Lemon twists for garnish

Ice for shaking and serving

In a cocktail shaker add the gin, with the lemon juice and the honey syrup.

Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously until the cocktail is well-chilled.

Pour into a glass with ice…

and garnish with a twist of lemon.