The Bees Knees
Gin, lemon, honey. Three ingredients, nowhere to hide.
The build
- 60 ml gin
- 22 ml fresh lemon juice
- 22 ml honey syrup, 3:1
Shake hard with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe. No garnish, or a lemon twist if you want the oil.
Notes
The classic ratio is often written 2:1:1 — two gin, one lemon, one syrup. Start there and adjust to the honey; a strongly flavoured monofloral can take a slightly longer pour of lemon.
A London dry gin gives the juniper something to argue with. A softer contemporary gin lets the honey lead.
Variations
With bourbon — the Gold Rush. Same proportions, bourbon in place of gin. Rounder, warmer, better in cold weather.
With vodka — quieter. The honey becomes the entire flavour, so it only works if the honey is worth tasting.
With egg white — dry shake first without ice, then shake again with ice. Softer texture, a foam cap that holds the aromatics.
History
The drink is associated with American Prohibition, where honey and lemon are usually said to have covered rough spirit. The phrase the bee's knees was 1920s slang for the very best of something. The name outlasted the bad gin.
The honey
This drink is two thirds acid and sugar. If the honey is filtered and pasteurised, the drink is gin and sour — there is nothing left of the bloom to taste.
Fantina's mesquite honey reads through the lemon: caramel first, then a green note underneath that meets the juniper.