Not Without Salt

It’s been a few weeks now but our weekend away lingers on in the form of gin, lemon, and honey. It’s called a Bee’s Knees and I’m desperately trying to make up for the lost time when we, sadly, did not know of one another.

A chance meeting that I won’t soon forget. Gabe and I arrived early to our dinner at the Willow’s Inn. We had planned on a cocktail before we sat down to a much anticipated meal. The cocktail menu overwhelmed the senses with ingredients like Nettles and Elderflower – making a decision proved difficult. We settled on a Bee’s Knees. With three simple ingredients it sounded both intriguing and refreshing.

Without the weight of so many additions of syrups and infusions each flavor is prominent. As a good team should, they work together producing a perfectly balanced drink – tart and sweet with a pungent punch of Gin, which, when you have the right Gin, is never a bad thing.

Speaking of the right Gin, I think I’ve found it. Now I’m no expert but I’ve found this Gin and I have no plans to abandon it soon. It’s Hendrick’s. Hailing from Scotland, this gin is brilliantly infused with cucumber and rose. It was love at first sip.

Much to the dismay of my husband, I mix drinks like I cook – a little of this, a dash of that. He of the fastidious coffee brewing routine uses an actual shot glass to concoct his cocktail. I’ll give both of our recipes in order to appease both personality types.

Since there are only three ingredients it’s imperative that they all are of the best quality possibly. I start with a few of tablespoons of room temperature water in the bottom of an 8 oz tumbler. To that I add a few teaspoons of honey. I stir that until most of the honey is dissolved. From there I add a couple of tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, plucking out the seeds that fall into my glass. To that, one shot of gin and a handful of ice until the cup nearly overflows. I take a preliminary sip to make sure I’ve found the perfect balance – one that nearly causes my lips to pucker before I’m hit with the sweetness of honey and the floral gin. A wedge of lemon tucked into the ice and I’m off to drink.

An actual recipe …

Bee’s Knees

2 oz gin

½ oz lemon juice

¾ oz honey syrup*

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon.

Feel free to adjust the ratio as you may prefer more or less sweetness.

*Honey Syrup

Combine equal parts honey and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir until honey is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool slightly then place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge.

When I came into a heap of local cherries this week I threw them into my cup, added about a teaspoon of honey then muddled that with the end of my rolling pin – I know, classy right? Then proceeded to add lemon juice, gin, and a splash of soda water. No complaints.

Print PDF