Bee's Knees
- 2 oz60 ml gin (Plymouth or London dry)
- ¾ oz22 ml fresh lemon juice
- 1 oz30 ml honey syrup
- Put a coupe in the freezer to chill.
- Measure the gin, lemon juice and honey syrup into a shaker and fill it with ice.
- Shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds so the honey fully dissolves.
- Strain into the cold coupe and add a lemon twist if you like.
Garnish: lemon twist (optional)
The syrup
In this recipe
Honey Syrup1 oz30 ml
Honey syrup is equal parts honey and warm water stirred together until smooth, with no boiling needed.
2:1 honey syrup is about 1.5x as sweet as our 1:1, so 3/4 oz becomes about 1 oz of ours
As printed: 3/4 oz honey syrup (2:1 honey:water)
Where it comes from
This gin-honey-lemon sour takes its name from Prohibition-era slang for 'the best.' It is usually credited to Frank Meier of the Paris Ritz, though a 1929 newspaper item linked it to the socialite Margaret 'Molly' Brown.
Source: The PDT Cocktail Book by Jim Meehan (2011).
Checked against: Umami Mart - The PDT Project: Bee's Knees (quotes the PDT spec) · Punch - Bee's Knees · Wikipedia - Bee's Knees (origin notes)
The PDT Cocktail Book (Jim Meehan)
Gear for this drink
Mixology & Craft 16-Piece Cocktail Shaker Set
OXO SteeL Angled Measuring Jigger
Best for Measuring syrup into drinks
Cuisinart Fine Mesh Stainless Strainers (set of 3)
Best for Every infused or fruit syrup