How To Make a Bee’s Knees Cocktail

Sometimes classics shouldn’t be messed with, and that’s absolutely the case when it comes to the Bee’s Knees cocktail. It’s sweet with honey, bright with lemon, and dangerously easy to sip. Plus, since it only involves three ingredients, it couldn’t be easier to shake up. Here’s how to do it.

Although the origins of this classic cocktail are murky, two popular origin stories have emerged. The first is that the drink was created as a way to mask the unpleasant taste and aroma of poor-quality homemade gin (also known as bathtub gin) that was served at speakeasies during the Prohibition era. The second is that it was invented at the Cafe Parisian at the Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1921 by an Austrian bartender by the name of Frank Meier. The name is said to have come from the phrase “the bee’s knees,” meaning “the best,” which became popular in the 1920s.

Making this classic cocktail is as easy as shaking gin, honey, and lemon juice with ice and straining it into a coupe glass. But to make sure your drink is, well, the bee’s knees, follow these tips.

1. Make a honey simple syrup. When honey hits ice, it thickens, so you need to thin it with water to make sure it dissolves in your drink. This is as easy as warming equal parts honey and water together until the honey melts. Stash leftover syrup in the fridge and use it to sweeten your iced tea or lemonade.
2. Choose a mild-flavored honey. For the most balanced Bee’s Knees, choose a honey that won’t overpower the gin and lemon juice. Mild varietals such as wildflower, orange blossom, clover, and acacia honey are all great choices. They also have a golden color that won’t muddy the cheery, lemon-tinged hue of the cocktail.
3. Experiment with different gins. As a gin fan, my bar cart is stocked with various bottles, and they’re all fun to experiment with here. Tanqueray is a classic, well-priced choice with just the right mix of botanicals. Lately, I’ve been particularly fond of Gunpowder Irish Gin, which is a bit of a splurge but its notes of grapefruit and cardamom really stand out in this simple cocktail.
   
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