When life gives you lemons… make a cocktail. How about that? My friends and I have been sending each other instructional videos on how to make our favorite cocktails for happy hour. I’ll never be a gin and tonic girl, but I’ve been enjoying gin-based drinks as the weather warms up. Gin plays nicely with citrus and fresh herbs, so it seems just right for this time of year.
The Bee’s Knees is a classic Prohibition-era cocktail made with gin, lemon and honey. It’s brightly flavored, lightly sweet, and just an overall delightful drink—hence the name. Enjoy one at home on a nice spring day. It tastes even better on a patio or balcony, if you have one. Cheers!
Watch How to Make the Bee’s Knees Cocktail
Why make honey simple syrup?
Honey doesn’t mix into cold liquids well. It tends to clump and cause problems. To remedy that, we make honey simple syrup from equal parts honey and water. The syrup mixes easily into cold cocktails. To make honey simple syrup, simply warm the two together in the microwave or on the stovetop until you can easily whisk them together. That’s it! Leftover honey syrup will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to two weeks.
Gin Considerations
You can use classic dry gin for this cocktail (such as Beefeater’s). For a more mellow, less juniper-y drink, try Hendrick’s, which has notes of cucumber and rose. I used Rieger’s Dry Gin, which is distilled here in Kansas City. The Rieger distillery is manufacturing tons of hand sanitizer right now, so I’m featuring their beautiful product as my own little thank you.
Bee’s Knees Variations
If you divide one drink between two Champagne glasses and fill the rest with bubbly, you’ll find yourself with a French 75. If you want more of a casual, long sipper, pour the ingredients over ice and top it off with club soda (essentially a Tom Collins). For a fun floral drink, replace the honey syrup with St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur. For a sweeter drink, simply stir in more honey syrup, to taste. If you don’t like gin, this cocktail would work with vodka, too.
Please let me know how your cocktail turns out in the comments! Looking for more fun cocktails? Try one of these:
French 75 Fresh Margaritas Manhattan Cocktail Moscow Mule New York Sour
Love gin? View all of my gin recipes. Hate gin? View more cocktail recipes here.
