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

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

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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.