Spirited Advisor

Bee’s Knees

The Bee’s Knees is a classic Prohibition-Era cocktail whose name (slang for The Best) might have been a misnomer. As David Embury points out in The Fine Art of Mixing Drink, it took awhile for this strong drink to find mass appeal, partially because in order to mask the potency of bathtub gin, prohibition swindlers used equal parts honey, lemon juice, and gin.

It’s not the cocktail’s fault it got a bad reputation: the proportions were all wrong! By changing the equal parts into three quarter ounces lemon juice, three quarter ounces honey, and two ounces gin, the cocktail was re-invented to become a smashing success.

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the recipe – the Bee’s Knees is a knockout cocktail. It’s perfect for entertaining, especially on a warm May evening when friends have gathered on the patio. Use local honey, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and good quality gin and you’ll be the Bee’s Knees of hosts!

.75 oz lemon juice
.75 oz honey
two oz gin