Mixlio
Sour · Brunch · Summer
Bee’s Knees
Honey syrup does the sweetening here, with lemon and a little orange for cut. A gin sour with the edges rounded off.
- Base
- Gin
- Glass
- Coupe glass
- Method
- Shake
- Strength
- 16.91% ABV
Ingredients
Servings
52.5 mlDry Gin1 swap
Any London dry ginhighDepends on the brand’s botanicals
2 tspHoney Syrup1 swap
Honey syrup or agavemediumLittle change
22.5 mlFresh Lemon Juice1 swap
Fresh lime juicemediumA touch sharper
- 22.5 mlFresh Orange Juice
How to make
Technique
Shake · 10–15sShaking chills the drink fast while adding dilution and a light texture.
- Stir honey with lemon and orange juices until it dissolves, add gin and shake with ice.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Serve
Glass
Coupe glassAlso fine: Martini glass, Nick & Nora glass
Garnish
Optionally garnish with a lemon or orange zest.Either works: lemon sharpens it, orange rounds it off.
optionalTaste & nutrition
16.91%ABV
175kcal
1.63Drinks
StrengthMedium
Sweet to dryDry
Estimated from ingredient amounts and assumed ABVs — not a lab measurement.
Good to know
- Use freshly squeezed juice — bottled tastes flat.
History
Year1920s
PlaceUSA (Prohibition era)
Created byUnknown
A Prohibition-era sour of gin, lemon and honey, the Bee's Knees takes its name from 1920s slang for something excellent. The honey was long said to smooth over the rough edges of bootleg gin, though the drink may actually have been born in the bars of Paris. Whatever its true home, it is essentially a Gin Sour sweetened with honey instead of sugar. It has enjoyed a strong comeback in the modern craft era.
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