Prohibition era cocktails: The "Bee’s Knees" recipe

Bee's Knees: In this 1920s drink, a teaspoon of honey together with lemon and orange juice would have lessened the potency of bathtub gin. Modern artisan gins give this sweet-tart recipe a much-appreciated depth.

The Bee's Knees, a traditional Prohibition drink prepared with gin, honey, and lemon juice, has a mythical and legendary origin. The name of the beverage, which translates to "the pinnacle of brilliance," may have sprung from "flapper banter" of the 1920s. The beverage may have been invented by bootleggers and their ilk to cover up the taste and odor of raw juniper in bathtub gin. Although the honey and lemon do a great job of disguising the alcohol, they do not qualify as light concoctions. Friends, the Bee's Knees is an extremely strong drug.

The "Bee’s Knees" recipe.

For a drink that's not your usual, we recommend Bee's Knees. It's a 1920s cocktail with gin, lemon juice, honey, and orange flower water. We use Tanqueray Gin and fresh squeezed lemon juice to make this drink. The honey adds a touch of sweetness and the orange flower water adds a citrusy flavor. It's easy to make, and it's a great cocktail for any occasion.

A bit of history:
The Fine Art of Mixing Drink by David Augustus Embury is the first book to describe the cocktail (the first edition published in 1948). Mr. Embury does not have high praise for the drink, although he fairly divides the books into sours and aromatics. Both are not The Bee's Knees. When he offers readers his thoughts on the drinks, he is blunt. Here is what he had to say about the beverage.

Early in the book I spoke in disparaging terms of the Bee’s Knees. This, however, was because as it originally came out during prohibition days it consisted of equal parts lemon juice, honey, and gin. If made as a variation of the standard Gin Sour, merely substituting honey for the sugar syrup, it is acceptable.

Maybe Mr. Embury doesn't like honey, or maybe he's afraid of the Bee's Knees' secret power. The drink is easily ingested. maybe too smooth In my experience, it may even convert a fervent "non-Gin drinker" into a Bee's Knees enthusiast. It is a crowd-pleaser right away since it is sweet and sour. When moderation is put on the back burner, this might become problematic. Mr. Embury did issue a warning.

How to Make it:

THE BEES KNEES
2 oz of Gin (Tanqueray or Plymouth)
¾ oz of honey syrup
¾ oz of  fresh lemon juice

Combine ingredients in chilled shaker, add cracked ice, shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Served up in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon wedge.

The recipe for homemade Honey Syrup:

Honey syrup can be made easily by combining equal parts honey and heated water. Boil the water and stir in the honey until it is emulsified. Then store in cooled place.  So the rule is one honey bear of honey = one honey bear of water.