The Bee's Knees: How to Make the Prohibition-Era Gin Cocktail Everyone's Drinking Again in Summer 2026 (and the 8 Gins That Make It Sing)
Three ingredients, one shaker, and a drink that tastes like sunshine in a glass. The Bee's Knees — gin, fresh lemon, and honey — is having its moment again in summer 2026, and it is easy to see why: it is the friendliest gin cocktail there is, sweet enough to win over the gin-curious and bright enough to keep a devotee coming back. Here is how to make a perfect one, the mistakes that flatten it, and the eight gins (from a \$28 everyday bottle to a botanical showpiece) that make it sing.
The name was 1920s slang for “the best,” and the drink was born of necessity: during Prohibition, honey and lemon were used to mask the rough edges of bootleg bathtub gin. First published in the 1929 book Cocktails de Paris, it is now an official IBA classic — and with good gin instead of bathtub hooch, it is genuinely delicious rather than merely disguised.
The 8 gins in this guide
What a Bee's Knees actually is
At heart it is a gin sour built on honey instead of simple syrup. The honey is what sets it apart — it brings a floral, rounded sweetness that plain sugar cannot, and it echoes the botanicals in the gin instead of just sweetening it. Think of it as the Gimlet's warmer, golden cousin: same shaken-citrus template, but softer and more aromatic. If you like a Gimlet or a Tom Collins, this is your next pour.
How to make a perfect Bee's Knees
First, make honey syrup — the one step people skip and the one that matters most. Straight honey seizes up and clumps in a cold shaker; thinned honey blends seamlessly. Stir equal parts honey and warm water until smooth and let it cool. It keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks, so make extra.
Then build the drink: add 2 ounces gin, 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice, and 3/4 to 1 ounce honey syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds — you want it very cold and lightly aerated — then double-strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist, and if you like, a tiny drizzle of honey around the rim.
Two rules make or break it. Use fresh lemon, never bottled — the whole drink lives on that bright acidity, and bottled juice tastes dull and flat by comparison. And taste as you go: honeys vary wildly in sweetness, so start at 3/4 ounce of syrup and adjust. A great Bee's Knees is balanced on a knife's edge between tart and sweet — you should want the next sip immediately. Because gin carries the flavor, the bottle you choose matters, which brings us to the lineup.
The 8 gins, from everyday to showpiece
The everyday classics. A crisp London dry is the traditional call, and it is hard to beat Tanqueray Gin London Dry 750Ml ($27.99) — bold, juniper-forward, and structured enough to stand up to the honey without disappearing. Fords Gin ($27.99) is the bartender's value pick, balanced and citrus-friendly and practically built for shaken cocktails, while Bombay Sapphire Gin ($28.09) brings a brighter, lightly floral profile that leans into the lemon.
The step-up sippers. Tanqueray Gin No. 10 750Ml ($42.99) is made with fresh whole citrus in the still, so it amplifies the lemon and turns the drink positively luminous — a genuine upgrade if you want a more refined pour. Hendrick's Gin ($45.99) takes it somewhere gentler and more perfumed, its cucumber-and-rose character softening the honey into something almost delicate.
The character bottles. The Botanist Gin ($42.99) is a foraged Islay gin with 22 botanicals — herbal, complex, and layered, it makes a Bee's Knees with real depth for anyone who wants the cocktail to taste like more than lemon and honey. And for a citrus-on-citrus version, the Italian Malfy gins are made for this drink: Malfy Gin Con Limone ($37.99), built with Amalfi lemon peel, doubles down on the lemon for a sun-drenched Mediterranean take, while Malfy Gin Con Original ($37.09) brings a rounder juniper-and-citrus balance. Every bottle here lives in our Gin collection, and the honey and other sweeteners you need are in Cordials & Liqueurs.
Three easy variations
Once you have the base down, the Bee's Knees rewards experimenting. Swap in an orange twist and a splash of fresh orange juice for a mellower, rounder drink sometimes called a Business Casual. Infuse your honey syrup with a sprig of rosemary or a few sprigs of lavender while it is warm, then strain — the herbal note plays beautifully against a botanical gin like The Botanist. Or lengthen the whole thing into a Bee's Knees highball: build it over ice in a tall glass and top with a splash of soda for a lower-proof, patio-friendly cooler. If you would rather stay classic, keep it three-ingredient and simply dial the gin to the mood — a bright Malfy for summer, a bold Tanqueray for backbone.
Where the Bee's Knees fits your bar
If you have been working through the gin classics this summer — the Gin & Tonic, the French 75, the Negroni, the Martini — the Bee's Knees is the one to reach for when you want something sunny and approachable rather than bracing or boozy. It is the crowd-pleaser of the bunch: the drink you hand to someone who says they “don't really like gin,” and watch them change their mind.
Shake one tonight
Honey syrup, a good gin, fresh lemon, and a hard shake — that is the whole trick, and it might be the easiest way there is to fall for gin. Not sure which bottle to start with? The Best Sellers collection shows exactly what is pouring fastest this week. Shop gin for a summer Bee's Knees →
