Bee's knees
| Cocktail | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Type | Cocktail |
| Base spirit | |
| Served | Straight up: chilled, without ice |
| Standard garnish | lemon peel |
| Standard drinkware | .svg) |
| Commonly used ingredients |
|
| Preparation | Shake with ice and strain into a chilled large cocktail glass |
A Bees Knees (or Bee's Knees) is a Prohibition Era cocktail made with Gin, fresh lemon juice, and honey. It is served shaken and chilled, often with a lemon twist.
The name comes from prohibition-era slang meaning "the best."[1]
History
Like many prohibition-era cocktails, the Bee's Knees was invented as a way to hide the scent and flavor of poor quality homemade spirits,[1] in this case bathtub gin.[2] The addition of honey was considered bizarre by some at the time, since sugar is more usual.[3] The honey sweetens the drink, and may make it palatable to people who don't normally like gin.
Variations
- Barr Hill Gin is sometimes recommended for its honey infusion, though other gins may be used.[1]
- The honey may be diluted 1:1 with warm water to thin the consistency.[2]
- The honey may be diluted 1:1 with simple syrup instead of water.[1]
- A sprig of basil may be used for garnish instead of lemon peel.[2]
- Some variations contain orange juice[3]
References
- ^ a b c d "Bee's Knees". Post Prohibition Handcrafted cocktails. Baltimore: Post Prohibition. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ a b c Westfall, JD. "5 Prohibition Cocktails You Should Try". Q Avenue. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ a b Puchko, Kathy. "The Origins Of 10 Popular Prohibition Cocktails". Mental Floss. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
 | This mixed drink–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |