A bees knees (or bee's knees) is a

Prohibition era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

made with gin, fresh

lemon juice The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

, and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of 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 pl ...

. 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 citrus fru ...

. 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 Frank, FRANK, or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a Germanic people in late Roman times * Franks, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crus ...

, 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 to Margaret Brown, an American socialite. Bees Knees Cocktail

In 2017, Barr Hill Gin started an annual event called Bee's Knees Week to promote their product. Bee's Knees Week is the largest sustainability event in the spirits industry, focused on pollinator protection. A 2023 article published by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' credited an increase in the cocktail's popularity in part to Bee's Knees Week.

Variations

* Several different gin brands are variously recommended, among them Barr Hill's for its honey infusion. * 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 Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavored Liquor, spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. His ...

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