Bee's Knees Cocktail Recipe
Gin, lemon and honey — a sour where the sugar is replaced entirely by honey, which changes everything.
- Category: New Era Drinks
- Glass: Coupe glass
- ABV: 22%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Gin60 ml (2 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Honey syrup20 ml (0.7 oz)
How to Make It
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- Shake until well chilled.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
- Express a lemon twist over the drink.
Garnish
Lemon twist
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads, the sweetness is pronounced and it smells of lemon and lime peel.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A stemmed, shallow coupe. The stem keeps your hand's warmth away from the drink, and the wide bowl carries the aroma to your nose. Served without ice.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Gin
- London dry gin: juniper up front, citrus and coriander behind it. Brand really does show here — Beefeater is sharp, Hendrick's floral, Tanqueray juniper-heavy.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
- Honey syrup
- Three parts honey to one part warm water. Neat honey seizes up in a cold drink, which is why it gets loosened first. Heavier and more aromatic than simple syrup.
The Story
A Prohibition drink whose honey was said to cover the smell of bathtub gin; the name was 1920s slang for the very best.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Bee's Knees mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a coupe.
- How strong is a Bee's Knees?
- Roughly 22% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a Bee's Knees be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Bee's Knees hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
759 recipes in your pocket
Cocktails and mocktails from 55 countries — ingredients, steps and the story behind each drink. Works offline too.
Similar recipes
Collections
Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.