Bee's Knees
Gin, lemon and honey syrup. A three-ingredient Prohibition-era sour that is hard to get wrong.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Coupe
- Strength
- 2 UK units
How to make a Bee's Knees
- Make the honey syrup. Stir 2 tablespoons of honey with 1 tablespoon of hot water until it has fully dissolved and runs freely. Let it cool.
- Shake. Add the gin, lemon juice and honey syrup to a shaker full of ice. Shake hard for 12 seconds, until the tin feels very cold.
- Strain. Strain into a chilled coupe. The drink should be pale gold and slightly cloudy.
- Finish with lemon. Squeeze a lemon peel over the top, skin side down, then drop it in.
- Glass
- CoupeNo coupe? A small wine glass or short tumbler.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- Lemon twistOr: A lemon wheel.
What you need to make a Bee's Knees
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Vegetable peelerFor wide strips of peel with little pith.
Bottles we'd use
- London dry ginA classic juniper-led gin like Beefeater or Tanqueray works best.Find it on Amazon
- Runny honeyA mild flower honey; strong heather or manuka honey can take over.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The Bee's Knees story
The Bee's Knees is a Prohibition-era drink. The usual story is that honey and lemon were there to hide the harsh taste of bathtub gin. Some accounts credit Frank Meier of the Paris Ritz, but the origin is not firmly established. The name itself was 1920s slang for something excellent.
It is a gin sour with honey in place of sugar, which gives a floral, rounder sweetness. Use a light honey, because a strong heather or manuka honey will overpower the gin. Mixing the honey with warm water first makes it pour and blend easily when it is shaken.
Bee's Knees: your questions answered
What is in a Bee's Knees?
A Bee's Knees is made with 50 ml London dry gin, 25 ml fresh lemon juice and 15 ml honey syrup. Garnish: lemon twist.
Is a Bee's Knees shaken or stirred?
A Bee's Knees is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Bee's Knees?
Made to this recipe, a Bee's Knees contains about 2 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Bee's Knees in?
Serve a Bee's Knees in a coupe. No coupe? A small wine glass or short tumbler.
