May 4

May 4 The Bees Knees

The Bees Knees, a perfect blend of tang & sweet

We’ve fallen down the rabbit hole into vintage cocktails. This one, the Bees Knees, is a Prohibition Era cocktail that is simple perfection. Three ingredients and it lives up to its reputation as the best!

Make is extra special with a lemon sugar rim.

Just the Recipe | 2 Cocktails

Ingredients

4 oz good Gin

1 1/2 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 oz Honey Simple Syrup (see Mint Mojito recipe for directions to make this at home)

Lemon Zest Sugar Rim (optional)

Steps

Chill two martini or coupe glasses.
If using the sugar rim, zest one lemon into 1/4 cup sugar before juicing the lemon. Toss the sugar and zest together on a small plate and set aside.
To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the Gin, Lemon Juice, and Simple Syrup.
Shake for 5-10 seconds.
For the rim: Run a lemon slice around the rim of the glass and dip into the lemon zest sugar on a plate (pictured below).
Pour into the glass, top with a strip of lemon peel or slice of lemon.

Cheers!

Kitchen Acumen Tips:

If you want a clear drink, strain the lemon juice through a sieve. This is completely unnecessary but if you’re a no-pulp person, I get it!
We love this cocktail in early spring. The bright citrus and fancy simplicity screams “Let’s put on big hats and watch the Kentucky Derby!”
Variations:
- Orange + Lemon: use 3/4 oz fresh orange juice and 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice. Add some orange zest with the lemon zest if using the sugar rim.
- The Lemony-est! Add the zest from a whole lemon to the honey simple syrup and use lemon-honey simple syrup. This is my preferred version.
- Spicy Bee. Add two slices of fresh ginger and the zest of one lemon to the honey simple syrup mixture, fresh off the stove. Steep for ten minutes. Strain the ginger and lemon peel. Follow the directions above.
Find a friend or two and enjoy together :)