The Speakeasy Favourite
During Prohibition, American gin was rough — raw, poorly distilled, and often dangerous. Bartenders in speakeasies used honey and lemon to mask the harsh flavour. The irony is that with modern craft gin, the combination is no longer a disguise — it's a genuine flavour pairing that works beautifully.
The Honey Syrup
Don't try to add raw honey directly to the shaker — it won't dissolve in cold liquid. A 3:1 honey syrup (three parts honey, one part warm water, stirred until dissolved) gives you the honey flavour with the right consistency to mix evenly.
Choosing Your Honey
The type of honey matters. Wildflower honey is the classic choice — floral and complex. Acacia honey is lighter and lets the gin shine. Manuka adds an earthy, almost medicinal quality that pairs brilliantly with juniper-forward gins.
Variations
- Gold Rush: The bourbon version — swap gin for bourbon whiskey
- Penicillin: Scotch, ginger, honey, lemon — the Bee's Knees' Scottish cousin
- Lavender Bee's Knees: Infuse the honey syrup with dried lavender for a floral twist
