A classic concoction, believed to have originally been invented by socialite and Titanic survivor "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," the bee's knees is still undoubtedly one of the best cocktails anywhere around. It's incredibly well balanced, yet delightfully nuanced, and splendidly refreshing to boot. Featuring only three ingredients, it is also exceptionally simple to prepare. All you need is gin, fresh lemon juice, and honey simple syrup. It's the perfect cocktail to welcome spring and enjoy throughout the summer. And the secret to achieving such satisfying complexity in this straightforward drink? You'll have to ask the bees, since it's all in the honey!

Bee's knees cocktail served in a coupe glass and garnished with yellow and orange flower petals.

The key to this cocktail is honey simple syrup, an easy ingredient that you can whip up in practically no time at all.

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Ingredients for Bee's Knees
Instructions
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📖 Recipe

Ingredients for Bee's Knees

gin
fresh lemon juice
honey simple syrup
ice
edible flower petals (optional for garnish)

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Golden yellow liquid being stirred with a small white silicone spatula in a small steel saucepan.

If you don't already have a jar of honey simple syrup on hand, first mix up a quick batch and set it aside to cool.

Two lemon halves on a brown cutting board next to a glass measuring cup containing lemon juice.

In the meantime, squeeze the lemon and strain any seeds from the fresh lemon juice.

Clear liquid being poured from a steel measuring jigger into a steel cocktail shaker next to a bottle of gin.

Add the gin to your cocktail shaker.

Yellow liquid being poured from a steel measuring jigger into a steel cocktail shaker next to a glass measuring cup containing yellow liquid.

Then add the fresh lemon juice.

Pale golden liquid being poured from a steel measuring jigger into a steel cocktail shaker next to a glass jar containing pale golden liquid.

Finally, add the honey simple syrup.

Pale yellow liquid being poured from a frosty steel cocktail shaker into a coupe glass.

Add a generous amount of ice, shake vigorously, and strain into a coupe glass.

Garnish with edible flower petals, if desired, and serve immediately.

Hint: When it comes to choosing your gin for this cocktail, I recommend something heavy on the botanicals. My favorite here is The Botanist, but Hendrick's or Monkey 47 are a couple other great choices.

Looking for more cocktail recipes that are great for spring and summer? Try these: