Bee’s Knees

Category: Sour Cocktails

We don’t know much about the history of this cocktail, other than apocryphal stories about its invention as a way to cover up the acrid flavors of Prohibition-era bathtub gin. It’s first mentioned in print in 1948, in David Embry’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. Embry talks some trash about the original equal-parts recipe for the drink, before suggesting it’s better as a variation on the gin sour.

This is a recipe that lends itself well to herbal or floral gins, or Old Tom gin (which is a bit sweeter than your typical London Dry). If you go the Old Tom route, drop the honey down a tad to compensate for the additional sweetness.

The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David Embry
Breakdown of the history of the Bee’s Knees and comparison of recipes by Reddit user Hebug

2 parts Gin or Botanical gin or Old Tom gin or Aged gin
1 part Honey syrup
½ part Lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. You may want to double-strain the drink to remove any little bits of lemon pulp.

The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David Embry
Breakdown of the history of the Bee’s Knees and comparison of recipes by Reddit user Hebug

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