Today’s a great day for a cocktail, don’t you think? This is one of my personal favorite classic cocktails from the 1920s—the Bee’s Knees. It’s a bright, refreshing mix of gin, lemon, and honey—shaken over ice and poured into a chilled glass. Simple, delicious, and timeless.
But before we shake it up, let’s talk about where this drink came from.
The Bee’s Knees was born during Prohibition in the 1920s and early ’30s— when alcohol couldn’t legally be made, sold, or transported in the U.S. That didn’t stop anyone from drinking, it just gave rise to speakeasies and plenty of bootleg liquor!
This was also the age of the flapper—young women who smoked in public, drank, danced at jazz clubs, and embraced a freedom that shocked polite society. These clever women even found creative ways to sidestep prohibition by smuggling liquor in creative ways.
Flappers had their own playful slang — expressions like the cat’s pajamas, the cat’s whiskers, and of course, the bee’s knees — all of which meant the same thing: something truly exceptional and top-notch.
The creation of the actual drink is credited to a bartender at the Hôtel Ritz in Paris named Frank Meier. It’s a twist on a Gin Sour, and Frank swapped sugar for honey, making a richer and smoother drink. Rumor has it that it helped hide the taste of bathtub gin!
So the cocktail’s name draws from both the slang of the times and gives a playful nod to the honey in the recipe. And it is truly is top-notch!
The cocktail couldn’t be easier to make. To make the honey syrup, you combine equal parts of honey and warm water, stirring until incorporated. Once cooled, you add the gin, lemon, and honey syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until cold. Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with a lemon peel or wedge if desired.
Check out the drink’s history and the recipe below!
Sources/Learn More: History.com, The Idioms, Click Americana, Vintage Everyday, Word Histories, Liquor.com, Food & Wine
Bee’s Knees History
Bee’s Knees Cocktail Recipe
Bee’s Knees Classic Cocktail
Ingredients
Honey Syrup (this will make enough for one cocktail + extra if you'd like to adjust the sweetness of the final cocktail)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon water
Cocktail
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey syrup
- 1 ½ ounces gin
Optional
- Lemon peel garnish
Instructions
Make the honey syrup
- Warm the water.
- Mix with honey and cool before using.
Assemble the cocktail
- Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake until fully chilled.
- Pour into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with lemon peel or wedge if desired.
