The Bee’s Knees cocktail is an easy cocktail of gin, lemon and honey that dates back to Prohibition era. The phrase “bee’s knees” was prohibition-era slang for “the best.” The story goes that the addition of citrus and honey were used to cover the often pungent smell and taste of bathtub gin.
Improving the taste of an inferior gin may have been the goal, but the result was a fantastic concoction that holds its own and seemed a perfect choice for our pre-Hallowee’en pumpkin-carving gathering.
Ingredients
- 2 oz gin
- 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 oz honey simple syrup (see below)
- Garnish with a lemon twist
Honey Simple Syrup
A mix of honey and water in a 1:1 ratio. I heated a 1/4 cup of water on the stove and stirred in a 1/4 cup of honey until thoroughly dissolved. Cool and store.
Add all ingredients to your shaker except for the garnish. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Rub rim of glass with lemon peel and garnish with a lemon twist.
The verdict: This one was chosen to accompany our pumpkin carving fest and a bucket of the Colonel’s best. As it turns out, it was a great choice to go with Mr Sanders’ secret blend; the Bee’s Knees’ tartness being highlighted by the crispy spicy skin of the chicken (yes, we got a good bucket). I think one could play with the honey a bit as it seemed to come and go depending on who was tasting. All in all everyone enjoyed it and I was very tempted to make another; but since we were about to play with sharp things we decided to let prudence rule.