Bee's Knees co*cktail Recipe (2024)

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By Shawn Williams

5 from 1 vote

Aug 20, 2019, Updated Sep 21, 2023

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The Bee’s Knees co*cktail is a Prohibition-Era drink made with gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup (honey and water). It’s a simple classic co*cktail, sweetened with real honey and balanced with citrus. It’s refreshing and perfect for gin lovers!

Bee's Knees co*cktail Recipe (2)

Other than being a Prohibition-Era co*cktail, the drink is known for its catchy name—a nod to the time in history it originated. Bee’s knees is a 1900’s slang term for ‘the best’ or ‘awesome’ and of course inspired by the co*cktail’s use of honey. And hey, you might even get a nice buzz as you’re sipping.

Looking for more delicious gin co*cktails? Also, try the French 75 co*cktail and the Corpse Reviver 2. If you’re looking for something a little more floral and complex, try the Last Word and the Aviation co*cktail!

Table of Contents

  • Why This Recipe Works
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make a Bee’s Knees
  • Expert Tips
  • Gin Recommendations
  • Honey Simple Syrup
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Similar Classic co*cktails
  • Bee’s Knees co*cktail Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

  • The Bee’s Knees is the perfect balance of botanicals, citrus, and sweetness. It’s refreshing and crowd-pleasing whether you’re a gin lover or not.
  • The citrus and honey make this a comforting co*cktail that can be enjoyed year-round.

Ingredients

Bee's Knees co*cktail Recipe (3)
  • Gin: the Bee’s Knees relies on the botanical brilliance of gin as its base spirit. The juniper-forward nature of gin adds depth and complexity.
  • Lemon Juice: freshly squeezed lemon juice cuts through the sweetness of the honey, creating a well-rounded flavor profile that is both refreshing and invigorating.
  • Honey syrup: honey lends a silky sweetness to the co*cktail. It provides a natural alternative to simple syrup and adds a distinct richness. Save the extra honey syrup for a Brown Derby co*cktail!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.

How to Make a Bee’s Knees

Step 1.

To make honey syrup, combine equal parts hot water and honey in a glass and stir until the honey is fully dissolved.

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Bee's Knees co*cktail Recipe (5)
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Step 3.

Shake vigorously for 20 seconds and double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

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Expert Tips

  • Chill your glasses ahead of time in the freezer to keep your drinks cooler for longer. This is one of my favorite tricks in the summer.
  • This co*cktail is best served in a small coupe glass. It makes for a fantastic presentation given the drink’s history and age.
  • Always double-strain shaken co*cktails through a fine mesh strainer. This removes tiny ice chips that will dilute the co*cktail as it warms.

Gin Recommendations

The Bee’s Knees is not necessarily a gin-forward co*cktail. The honey and lemon are very complimentary and will balance the drink. London dry gins such as Beefeater or Bombay Sapphire are both more classic juniper-forward options.

There are numerous modern-day gins on the market with a variety of flavors and infusions. Hendrick’s is very smooth and offers more citrus-forward notes. I like Bar Hill Gin (made with juniper and raw honey), Plymouth Gin, and The Botanist Islay Dry Gin. All are great options with well-balanced botanicals and flavors.

Honey Simple Syrup

Honey simple syrup is made with equal parts honey and water. Honey syrup can be used in co*cktails similarly to classicsimple syrup (sugar and water), adding unique character and sweetness. It’s easier to make than simple syrup as the honey will easily dissolve in hot or warm water, unlike sugar.

To make honey syrup, heat 1/4 cup of water in the microwave for 20-30 seconds until very warm. Stir in 1/4 cup of honey until fully dissolved. The proper consistency is a little thicker than water when at room temp.

You can make extra syrup and store it in the fridge for about a month. The honey syrup recipe above is good for about 1/2 a cup or 4 co*cktails.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use simple syrup instead of honey syrup?

Simple syrup works but it doesn’t jive as well with the gin and fresh lemon. Simple syrup will leave this co*cktail tasting a little stark.

Why should I make honey syrup?

Honey and water dissolve in co*cktails much better than pure honey. Honey tends to clump up when chilled and won’t mix well.

What kind of gin should I use?

My favorite is Plymouth Gin. I use it in a wide variety of gin co*cktails.

Similar Classic co*cktails

Tom Collins co*cktail Recipe

Hot Toddy Recipe

Brown Derby co*cktail Recipe

Enjoy this recipe? If you made this co*cktail, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & areview in the comments!

5 from 1 vote

Bee’s Knees co*cktail Recipe

By: Shawn Williams

Servings: 1 co*cktail

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Total: 5 minutes mins

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Bee's Knees co*cktail Recipe (13)

The bee’s knees co*cktail is a classic Prohibition-Era co*cktail made with gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces gin
  • 3/4 ounces fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 ounces honey syrup

honey syrup (makes 1/2 cup)

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  • To make honey syrup, combine equal parts hot water and honey in a glass and stir until the honey is fully dissolved.

  • Combine gin, lemon juice, and honey in a co*cktail shaker with a cup of ice.

  • Shake vigorously for 20 seconds and double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Notes

Chill your glasses ahead of time in the freezer to keep your drinks cooler for longer. This is one of my favorite tricks in the summer.

This co*cktail is best served in a small coupe glass. It makes for a fantastic presentation given the drink’s history and age.

Always double-strain shaken co*cktails through a fine mesh strainer. This removes tiny ice chips that will dilute the co*cktail as it warms.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 219kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 6mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 17.9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: co*cktail

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @kitchenswagger or tag #kitchenswagger!

About Shawn Williams

My name is Shawn, author behind Kitchen Swagger. I'm a food & drink enthusiast bringing you my own simple and delicious restaurant-inspired recipes.

Read More About Me

Bee's Knees co*cktail Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a bees knees drink made of? ›

A Bee's Knees co*cktail is made with only three ingredients: gin, honey, and lemon. Simple, sweet, and super delicious!

What's the best gin for bees' knees? ›

Tanqueray is a London-based gin known for its excellent quality and distinct flavor. Tanqueray's unique botanical blend adds depth to your Bees Knees. The co*cktail's herbal undertones work perfectly with the honey and citrus to bring out another dimension of flavor.

Why is it called the bees' knees? ›

'That's the bee's knees' which means it is excellent, the highest quality. The phrase 'the bee's knees' came from the 18th century and it was a fanciful phrase that referred to something that didn't exist. A boss would send an apprentice to the store to pick up a left-handed hammer and a bag of bee's knees.

What glass is a bees knees served in? ›

Directions. Add gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup to a co*cktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

What's so good about bees' knees? ›

Some people believe that it is a reference to the fact that bees carry pollen in sacks on their knees, and that the expression therefore alludes to this concentrated goodness. Others maintain that the saying is just a corruption of the word 'business'.

What is a yellow jacket drink made of? ›

How to make:
40 mlPatrón Reposado tequila
20 mlElderflower liqueur
15 mlYellow Chartreuse (or génépy liqueur)
1 dashOrange Bitters by Angostura
Loading... ml oz shot cl 1 2 3 Servings GO

What co*cktail is similar to the bees knees? ›

The bees' knees is also the name of a classic co*cktail with other names like the Bumble Bee. It's easy to make - and it's my first choice for a co*cktail to welcome spring. Think of a Tom Collins but with organic honey as a natural sweetener instead of sugar. Better yet with local honey!

What gin turns purple on ice? ›

Empress gin has a dark blueish-purple hue that comes from a unique source: the butterfly pea blossom. Butterfly pea flower infusion changes the Empress 1908 gin to purple and will also change to various shades of pink and light lavender depending on the mixer.

Do people still say bees knees? ›

Humans have a habit of coining language and then trying to make sense of it in retrospect, which is evidenced here with everything that followed with Bee Jackson. Nowadays, you wouldn't hear someone call something “the bee's knees” unless they're doing it ironically or in part mockery of something or someone.

When did bees knees become popular? ›

The expression was coined in the 1920s by an American cartoonist named Tad Dorgan, who also graced the language with such corny superlatives as "the cat's pajamas" and less durable ones such as the "the flea's eyebrows" and - a real clunker - "the canary's tusks." Dorgan also came up with: "Yes, we have no bananas." I' ...

What did Bee's knees mean in the 1920s? ›

"The bee's knees" apparently came into use during the 1920s when the flappers compared almost anything they considered excellent to a part of an animal. It seems that American cartoonist Tad Dorgan is responsible for this particular expression; and also for "the cat's pajamas", and possibly for "hot dog".

What liquor goes with honey? ›

A spice-forward mix of apple brandy, rum, honey, lemon and ginger. A simple and refreshing classic with gin, lemon and honey. This beer co*cktail balances Aperol with tart citrus, honey, and marjoram. Named after mid-20th century LA restaurant culture, The Brown Derby features Bourbon, grapefruit and honey.

Who invented the bees knees co*cktail? ›

The Bee's Knees is generally attributed to Frank Meier, the bartender who ran the Ritz bar in Paris for many years, beginning in the 1920s. The drink appears in Meier's 1936 book The Artistry of Mixing Drinks, with Meier's little signature next to it, indicating it is his invention.

What is the history of the bees knees co*cktail? ›

The Bee's Knees co*cktail is a gin, lemon and honey classic that dates back to prohibition. The phrase “bee's knees” was prohibition-era slang for “the best.” In that time, the addition of ingredients such as citrus and honey were often used to cover the less than ideal smell and taste of bathtub gin.

What is the sweet liquid made by bees? ›

Honey is a sweet liquid made by bees.

What is royal jelly made of bees? ›

Royal jelly is often referred to as a honey bee's version of “a mother's milk” and is a protein-rich secretion produced by worker bees. This milky substance is fed to all larvae for a short period of time during the honey bee life cycle, and is also fed to the developing queen bee in extra amounts.

What is a bee's honeycomb made out of? ›

A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal prismatic cells built from beeswax by honey bees in their nests to contain their brood (eggs, larvae, and pupae) and stores of honey and pollen.

What kind of drink is Nehi? ›

Nehi (/ˈniːhaɪ/ NEE-hy) is a flavored soft drink that originated in the United States.

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