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A bees knees (or bee's knees) is a
* Barr Hill Gin is sometimes recommended for its honey infusion, though other gins may be used (including Barr Hill's Tom Cat gin).
* The honey may be diluted 1:1 with warm water to thin the consistency.
* The honey may be diluted 1:1 with simple syrup instead of water.
* A sprig of basil or thyme may be used for garnish instead of lemon peel.
* Some variations contain orange juice.
* Add two dashes of absinthe and two dashes of orange bitters to make a variation called the "oldest living Confederate widow".
Prohibition era
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic be ...
cocktail made with gin, fresh lemon juice
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...
, and honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
. It is served shaken and chilled, often with a lemon twist
A twist is a piece of citrus zest used as a cocktail garnish, generally for decoration and to add flavor when added to a mixed drink.
There are a variety of ways of making and using twists. Twists are typically cut from a whole fresh fruit with ...
.
The name comes from prohibition-era slang meaning "the best".
History
The bee's knees cocktail has unclear origins. It was possibly invented by Frank Meier, an Austrian-born, part Jewish bartender who was the first head bartender at the Ritz in Paris in 1921, when its Cafe Parisian opened its doors. A 1929 news article attributes the cocktail toMargaret Brown
Margaret Brown (née Tobin; July 18, 1867 – October 26, 1932), posthumously known as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", was an American socialite and philanthropist. She unsuccessfully encouraged the crew in Lifeboat No. 6 to return to the debris ...
, an American socialite.
In 2017, Barr Hill Gin started an annual event called Bees Knees Week to encourage people to enjoy the bee's knees cocktail. Bee's Knees Week is the largest sustainability event in the spirits industry, focused on pollinator protection.
Variations
* Barr Hill Gin is sometimes recommended for its honey infusion, though other gins may be used (including Barr Hill's Tom Cat gin).
* The honey may be diluted 1:1 with warm water to thin the consistency.
* The honey may be diluted 1:1 with simple syrup instead of water.
* A sprig of basil or thyme may be used for garnish instead of lemon peel.
* Some variations contain orange juice.
* Add two dashes of absinthe and two dashes of orange bitters to make a variation called the "oldest living Confederate widow".
References
Cocktails with gin Citrus cocktails Three-ingredient cocktails {{Mixed-drink-stub