Bee's Knees
Ingredients
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- 1 ounce water
- 1 ounce honey
- 1 lemon lemon – peeled for a twist and juiced
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 cup ice – for shaking
Instructions
1. Chill a coupe glass in the freezer.
2. Warm the water until hot to the touch, then stir it with the honey in a small bowl until fully dissolved; let the honey syrup cool for 5 minutes.
3. From the lemon, cut a wide strip of peel for a twist, avoiding the white pith; then juice the lemon and measure 0.75 ounce.
4. Add the gin, 0.75 ounce of the lemon juice, and 0.75 ounce of the honey syrup you just made to a cocktail shaker.
5. Add the ice and shake hard until well-chilled and slightly frothy, 12–15 seconds.
6. Double strain into the chilled coupe.
7. Express the twist over the surface and rim, then drop it in. Serve immediately.
The Bee's Knees is a bright, silky gin sour sweetened with honey, delivering a balance of citrus snap and floral depth. Lemon juice keeps the profile crisp and refreshing, while honey rounds the edges with a gentle, lingering sweetness. Served up and shaken cold, it’s clean, aromatic, and deceptively simple, showcasing how three ingredients can create an elegant, satisfying cocktail.
Born in the Prohibition era, the Bee’s Knees took its name from a popular 1920s expression meaning “the best.” Historians note it likely emerged as bartenders used honey and citrus to complement or soften the character of available gins at the time. Over the decades, it became a staple of classic cocktail repertoires, appreciated for its timeless structure and its subtle nod to speakeasy ingenuity.