Ep. 41: Oh geez, try the Bee’s Knees - Bee’s Knees and Hot Honey Apricot Bee’s Knees

Welcome to episode 41 of The Art of Drinking with Join Jules and Your Favorite Uncle

What are we drinking this week?

The Bee’s Knees is a prohibition era cocktail that’s finer than the frogs eyebrows. It deserves a place on your cocktail menu! The Bee’s Knees is a gin sour that swaps out simple syrup for honey syrup. The Bee’s Knees is easy to make, tastes delicious, and has pretty cool history. Jules puts a spicy apricot spin on this classic and gives us the 411 on honey.

Tip: Honey perfect for cocktails

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How do I make it Uncle Brad?

Brad, what do we need?

Honey syrup
- Honey
- Water
- Saucepan
- Spatula
- Airtight container
- Funnel
Coupe glass
Boston Shaker
Jigger
Strainer: Hawthorne & fine mesh
Gin
Lemons
Ice
Pairing Knife

Brad, how do I make it?

Honey syrup recipe:

Equal parts honey and water

Add honey and an equal amount of hot water to sauce.
Heat until honey incorporates into water - DO NOT BOIL
Let cool to room temperature and store in airtight container

Bee’s Knees recipe:

Chill your coupe glass

In your boston shaker (28/18 tin on tin) add:

2oz gin, use a floral gin (contemporary or new western style gin)

1 oz of FRESH squeezed lemon juice

½ oz honey syrup

Copious amounts of ice and shake!!!

Double strain using hawthorn and fine mesh strainer into coupe glass

Take a swipe of your lemon with your Y-peeler and express the oils over the drink and tip from Kaitlyn Stewart (@likeablecocktails) give the stem a rub with the lemon peel

Garnish with lemon twist, I like to clean up the lemon peel with a paring knife. Cut off rough edges and cut ends on a bias. Then twist around a bar spoon to make a curl. Then I add a notch mid-peel at a 45 degree angle so the twist can hang on the edge of the coupe glass.

Jules, what do we need?

Chilled coupe glass
Hot Honey, I like Nature Nate’s
Apricot
Lemons
Hot honey syrup
Gin
Ice
Muddler
Boston shaker
Jigger
Strainer: Hawthorne & fine mesh
Lemon twist, for garnish

Jule’s Hot Honey Apricot Bee’s Knee’s Version

Hot honey syrup recipe

Exact same as the honey syrup recipe above - only you’re using hot (spicy) honey

Bee’s Knee’s

Chill your coupe glass
Open one to two apricots, remove pits and add flesh to cocktail shaker
Add ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
Add ½ oz of hot honey syrup
Muddle
Add 2 oz gin
Add ice and shake.
Double strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist!

fun fact:

There are over 300 honey varietals produced in the United States
The best to look for for cocktails: Orange Blossom, Clover, Alfalfa, Wildflower, and Buckwheat and hot honey.

What’s our tip?

Tip: How to pick cocktail honey!

Orange blossom: more citrus forward
Clover: light flavor, more sweet
Alfalfa: subtle grassiness flavor, slightly more sweet than clover
Buckwheat: dark brown with earthy flavors (great with whiskeys)
Wildflower: can vary with varying complex flavors, great for local honey finds
Hot Honey, this is one of my favorites: brads like Nature Nate’s has such a great heat
Honey syrup: If you’re honey is too thick to incorporate into your cocktail, make a syrup. Just take equal parts water and honey on medium heat and simmer until honey fully combines with water. Let cool and store for 2-4 weeks.