The Bee's Knees

I'm finally starting to feel the warmth of spring in LA, which for some reason makes me set aside the bourbon and pop open the gin bottles.  During Easter dinner a couple of weeks ago, I was whipping up gin fizzes with mint and fresh eggs from my friend's chickens.  So after a long six days in Las Vegas for a business trip, I was craving a simple and refreshing gin cocktail for a nightcap.  The Bee's Knees is like the gin equivalent to The Gold Rush.  This classic Prohibition cocktail garnered its name from the popular phrase at the time of "the bee's knees" when lavishing praise upon someone or something.

The creator of this lovely little libation is kind of unclear though.  Some trace it back to the Ritz Paris' head bartender Frank Meier, who published the recipe in his 1936 edition of The Artistry of Mixing Drinks.  Either way, it definitely stemmed from the Prohibition days, as that honey and lemon must have done wonders to mask the gasoline taste of bathtub gin.  To make the honey syrup, add 1/2 oz of water to every 1 oz of honey to a small saucepan over medium heat, and keep stirring until the honey dissolves.  Just don't let it boil.

The Bee's Knees
Ingredients:

• 2 oz gin (I used No. 3 London Dry Gin)
• 3/4 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz honey syrup

- In a shaker filled with ice, add the gin, lemon juice and honey syrup.
- Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass.