The Classic cocktail recipe the Bee’s Knees is one of our favorites, a simple concoction of gin, honey, and lemon, doesn’t get much better. Unless of course, you add lavender, and then it gets much, much better! Because I cook so much, we have a lot of herbs and flowers in our backyard, perfect for the bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies and since our neighbor is a beekeeper, I like to make sure our organic garden has plenty of bee-friendly flowers. Last weekend we planted some new lavender plants in the backyard and I thought it would be a great addition to the Bee’s Knees, making it a Lavender Honey Bee’s Knees.
Well, it’s Friday night, time for a cocktail, and decided it’s time I use some of that lavender for myself. So here it is, my take on the classic Bee’s Knees Cocktail only I’ve infused my honey simple syrup with a few fresh lavender flowers. On a side note, I used to infuse heavy cream with dried lavender to make Lavender Ice Cream at the hotel when I was a pastry chef, so I know dry lavender works just as well. But if you have fresh, even better!
The Lavender Honey Simple Syrup is very easy to make, and this method can be used to make a wide variety of flavors. Ginger, rosemary, lemongrass, etc. If you’re looking to up your cocktail game, it all starts with a great simple syrup recipe.
Here’s my Lavender Honey Simple Syrup recipe, this is enough for two cocktails:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Ounce Honey
- 1 Ounce Water
- 2 Teaspoons Lavender Flowers, fresh or dry
PROCESS:
-Bring the water to a boil, add the lavender and honey
-Let steep for a few minutes, like you’re making tea
-Strain and let cool
Here’s my Lavender Honey Bee Cocktail recipe:
INGREDIENTS for Two:
- 4 Ounces Gin, I use Hendrick’s
- 2 Ounces Lavender Honey Simple Syrup, strained
- 1 Lemon, Peel for garnish, then juiced
PROCESS:
-Place all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker (*don’t shake!)
-Stir around 40-50 stirs until ice cold
-Pour into a chilled cocktail coupe or martini glass
-Spritz with the lemon peel and garnish
-Cheers
*Never shake a cocktail with gin. You should let a bottle of red wine ‘breathe’, it helps younger red wines that are strong in tannic acid oxygenate and improves the flavor. The opposite occurs when you oxygenate gin, the organic compounds start to break down and you lose a lot of the herbal and floral notes that make gin special.
Here is a great article that explains Gin aeration in far better detail!
