On the eve of Bees Knees week, Barr Hill Gin’s Beverage Manager, Sam Nelis shows us the right way to make this classic drink. This is the fifth year that Barr Hill Gi have run Bees Kees Week as a way to raise both awareness and funds to save endangered bees and pollinators.
“Bees have always been at the heart of Barr Hill Gin and we are committed to saving them and nurturing them by protecting their habitat,” says Ryan Christiansen, President and Head Distiller, Caledonia Spirits, which produces Barr Hill Gin in Vermont. “Our founder was a beekeeper and we use raw honey to make our spirits, so we rely on bees quite literally.
“Similarly, bartenders need citrus, herbs, and other ingredients that depend on pollination and they have emerged as some of our most impassioned allies,” Christiansen continued. “That being said, bees are endangered due to habitat loss and other factors, and Bee’s Knees Week is our way of directly helping the bees, which our founder, Todd Hardie, calls the ‘Angels of agriculture.’”
This year, the goals of Bee’s Knees Week are to plant 500,000 sq. ft., equivalent to 5 NYC blocks, of bee habitat across the U.S. Using the Bee’s Knees cocktail (gin + lemon + honey) as its rallying point. Simply post a photo of the honeyed Prohibition-era drink to social media using the hashtag #beeskneesweek and tagging @barrhillgin.
For every photo posted, Barr Hill Gin partners with one of several non-profit organizations located throughout the U.S. to plant 10 square feet of pollinator habitat at the company’s expense. So make the cocktail – save the bees! For more information on Bees Knees Week go to https://bit.ly/3kn1pBk or connect with Barr Hills Gin on their Instagram https://bit.ly/3nLpzY0
Bees Knees
Ingredients
2oz Gin
0.75oz Lemon Juice
0.75oz Honey Syrup
Instructions
Combine ingredients in a mixing tin. Add ice, shake, then double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
*Raw Honey Syrup
Mix 2 parts raw honey and 1 part warm water until the honey dilutes. Using warm water rather than hot protects the raw honey’s subtle botanical notes. Raw honey can be purchased at www.barrhill.com.
