Bee’s Knees

The “bee’s knees” is an expression from the 1920s that means “cool,” “best,” or “of excellent quality.” At that time, many American slang phrases spawned from animal-attribute pairings, including the cat’s whiskers, the flea’s eyebrows, and the cat’s meow. When bees go from one flower to another, the nectar sticks to their knees, hence the bee’s knees are the insect’s sweetest part.

This cocktail recipe is a classic mixture of gin, lemon, and honey introduced in the prohibition era. During this time, available gin was of inferior quality. To mask the bitterness and smell of the “bathtub” gin, people would add citrus and honey to sweeten the mix. Now that we have access to much better gin, the Bee’s Knees lives up to its moniker as a cool, sweet, and delicious citrus cocktail. With just three ingredients, the drink is easy to execute. We suggest testing different kinds of honey and gin to make it your own.

Ingredients:

• 40 ml Bombay Sapphire
• 20 ml lemon juice
• 20 ml honey syrup

Glass: coupette

Directions:

1. Chill the coupette and set aside.
2. Pour all ingredients in a shaker.
3. Add ice and shake well.
4. Double strain the mixture and serve it on the chilled coupette.
5. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon slice.

Video by Star Sabroso • Photography by Chapter One Studio • Food and props styling by Chichi Tullao