The Story Behind The Aviation Bee's Knees

This Prohibition-era cocktail was invented as a way to mask the taste of bathtub gin with honey and lemon. Today, it’s an excellent example of how high-quality ingredients, like Aviation American Gin, can really make a cocktail shine. Using local or specialty varieties of honey in the syrup can add more to the depth and richness of the drink.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ ounces Aviation American Gin
  • ¾ ounce lemon juice
  • ¾ ounce honey syrup
  • Garnish: lemon twist

Directions

  1. Using a sharp knife and a cutting board, remove a long slice of lemon skin, leaving as little pith on the peel as possible. Gently curl into a twist and set aside.
  2. Combine gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice.
  3. Shake until combined and strain into a coupe glass.
  4. Twist the lemon peel over the drink to express the oils, then add as garnish.

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Updated: 2023-04-07

Honey Syrup Ingredients

  • 8 ounces honey
  • 4 ounces hot water

Honey Syrup Directions

  1. Pour honey and hot water into a mixing glass.
  2. Stir continuously for 60 seconds until the honey is dissolved.
  3. Pour into a container for storage and label, date, and refrigerate for later use. Good for 3 months.
Aviation Bee’s Knees

This recipe is sponsored by The Bar.