Bees Knees was a prohibition-era cocktail from the 1920’s consisting of gin, honey and lemon juice. During prohibition, alcohol was illegal to manufacture, sell or transfer although it was not outlawed to consume or possess. Since people could not legally buy alcohol, they made homemade versions known as “bathtub gin” or purchased it through bootleggers (organized crime such as Al Capone). Most bathtub gin was not actually made in bathtubs but in tall bottles that were too tall for the sink to fill so they used the bathtub faucet for water and/or they stored the bottles in the bathtub to hide it. Bathtub Gin usually consisted of cheap grain alcohol diluted with water, glycerin and juniper berry oil. Bees Knees (an 1920’s flapper expression meaning “the best’) cocktail was created to mask the unpleasant taste of the bathtub gin. So, grab a bottle of your favorite gin of choice and mix up this historic, easy to make cocktail. It’s the Cat’s Meow! Enjoy!
Equipment:
- Cocktail Shaker
- Jigger
- Knife
- Hand Juicer
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Gin
- 1/2 oz Honey Syrup (1 cup honey +1/2 cup warm water)
- 1/2 oz Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed)
- Lemon Twist
- Maraschino Cherry
Method:
- Start by making the honey syrup. In a microwave safe bowl, heat 1/2 cup water for 30-40 seconds. Stir in 1 cup honey until combined. Let cool and pour into a glass container for storage. You can also use a mixing glass with bar spoon to combine. Add warm water to mixing glass and stir in honey. Do not boil or overheat the honey as it will lose valuable nutrients. You can store any extra honey syrup in the fridge for 4 weeks. Honey Syrup will help blend the honey into the cocktail vs honey alone.
- Chill your coupe glass in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Make your lemon twist. Cut a lemon in half. Cut a 1/2-inch lemon wheel from cut end. Make a slit in the wheel and stretch open. Peel away the pulp leaving the lemon rind and a small amount of pith. Curl around a straw or bar spoon and slide off. Set aside.
- In a shaker filled with ice combine gin, honey syrup and lemon juice. Shake to combine and pour into a chilled Coupe glass.
- Garnish with lemon twist and Maraschino cherry. Cheers!
Want a mocktail instead?
Repeat all steps listed except replace the gin with a non-alcohol version such as Free Spirits. Enjoy!
Recommended Products–earns commission
|
|
|
|
