5 Creative Riffs on a Classic Bee’s Knees Cocktail

As a drink of Prohibition-era origins, the Bee’s Knees has long been a beloved classic among mixologists and cocktail enthusiasts alike. This time-honored concoction, with its satisfying blend of gin, lemon and honey, also happens to serve as the perfect canvas for creativity and cocktail innovation.

To help you shake things up a little bit, here are five must-try riffs on the classic Bee’s Knees.

Yellow Jacket

(Photo: Chas Turansky/Unsplash)

• 2 oz Gin of choice (recommendations here)
• 1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water, stirred to combine)
• Garnish: Lemon twist

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add in the gin, Yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice and honey syrup. Shake well until thoroughly chilled, about 10-15 seconds. Strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a twist of lemon.

Spicy Honey Bee

• 2 oz Gin (recommendations here)
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 oz Honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water, stirred to combine)
• 1/2 oz Ancho chile liqueur
• Garnish: Chili pepper slice

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour in the gin, fresh lemon juice, honey simple syrup and Ancho chile liqueur.
Shake well for around 10 seconds. Strain the mixture into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a slice of chili pepper for an extra kick.

Maverick Distilling Lavender Bee’s Knees

(Photo: Maverick Distilling)

• 2 oz Samuel Maverick Barrel Aged Gin
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz Lavender honey syrup (recipe below)
• Garnish: Small lavender sprig

Add the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake for about 10 seconds and then strain it into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish your drink with a spring of lavender or a lemon twist and enjoy.

A personal favorite of ours, Maverick Distilling’s Samuel Maverick Barrel Aged Texas Dry Gin offers richly herbal and floral notes, a touch of whiskey and a subtle caramelized sweetness. Limited to a run of two barrels, it’s available for $45 from the San Antonio-based distillery and online shopping with shipping to 42 states.

If you can’t get your hands on Samuel Maverick Barrel Aged Texas Dry Gin, this recipe can be made with your favorite barrel-aged gin.

Lavender honey syrup recipe

• 1 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
• 4-5 Lavender sprigs

Bring these ingredients to a boil and stir to dissolve honey and sugar. Turn off the heat and immediately add four to five sprigs of lavender. Let it steep for 30 minutes before straining it.

Pearly Sting

(Photo: Madhu Rao/Unsplash)

• 2 oz Gin (recommendations here)
• 3/4 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water, stirred to combine)
• 1/4 oz Absinthe
• Garnish: Lemon twist

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and pour in the gin, fresh lemon juice, honey syrup and absinthe. Shake well until thoroughly chilled and strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon and enjoy!

Orange Blossom Bee

(Photo: Any Lane/Pexels)

• 2 oz Gin (recommendations here)
• 3/4 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water, stirred to combine)
• 1-2 dashes of orange bitters
• Garnish: Orange slice and a spritz of orange blossom water

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add in your gin, fresh lemon juice, honey syrup and 1-2 dashes of orange bitters to the shaker.
Shake well for about 10 and strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of orange and a spritz of orange blossom water and enjoy!

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