Bee's Knees Recipe

Combine honey and water

Measure 2 parts honey to 1 part hot water (for example, 2/3 cup honey + 1/3 cup hot water). Place honey in a heatproof container and add the hot water.

Dissolve

Stir thoroughly until the honey dissolves completely and the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature before using.

Store

Transfer to a sealed bottle or jar and refrigerate. Syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Chill glass

If serving in a coupe or rocks glass, place it in the freezer or fill with ice water to chill while you mix the cocktail.

Measure & combine

In a cocktail shaker, add 2 oz Empress gin, 0.75 oz freshly hand-pressed lemon juice, and 0.75 oz honey simple syrup.

Add ice

Add approximately 1 cup of regular ice to the shaker (enough to chill and dilute properly).

Dry shake (optional)

For a silkier texture, first shake the ingredients without ice for 10 seconds to emulsify the honey syrup with the citrus.

Wet shake

Add ice (if you did a dry shake, now add ice) and shake vigorously for 12–18 seconds until the shaker is very cold and slightly frosty.

Prepare serving glass

Dump the ice water from the chilled glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice to create a cold bed for the drink.

Strain

Double-strain the cocktail over the crushed ice using a Hawthorne and fine mesh strainer (or fine strainer alone) to remove shards and pulp, producing a clean, slushy surface.

Garnish & serve

Garnish with a lemon wheel or a lemon twist expressed over the drink and set on top of the crushed ice. Serve immediately with a short straw.