Bee’s Knees

At a recent Astor Center event celebrating local grains, I tasted a cocktail that brought me back several years to a favorite drink, Honey Bee, that a bartender at The Red Cat would always make for me. The gin-based drink at the Astor event was the classic Prohibition-era Bee’s Knees made with all local ingredients. After I fell for the drink, I was happy to learn that I could source all its components in my own backyard, including the Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin from the New York Distilling Company (distilled in Brooklyn with honey from the Finger Lakes). The most shocking thing is the simplicity of this drink. It just happens to be a mixture of three of my favorite things: lemon, honey and gin. You get a bit of tartness, an even acidity, some sweet notes and the gin links all those flavors together and give it a bit of a buzz.

Bee’s Knees recipe, courtesy of Jennifer Smith, General Manager of Astor Center is in the recipe box to the right.