Bee's Knees Cocktail: A Little Sweet and Sour for Your Gin

Every bar and restaurant will put their own spin on a great cocktail like the Bee's Knees. It's such a simple recipe that affords itself to some experimentation.

For example, Hard Rock International has their bartenders shake up 2 ounces Hendrick's Gin, 1 1/2 ounce sweet and sour, and 1-ounce honey syrup. They also garnish it with a lemon wedge. It's a fun twist on the original that is perfect for many of the less-traditional gins.

You will notice that these two recipes invert the sweet and sour ingredients. The first uses more sweetener and less juice while the second concentrates on the sour. There are two reasons for this.

The first is that each recipe was adapted to the style of gin used. A traditional London dry gin with the juniper-forward flavor profile is best with a little less citrus. The Hard Rock's version opts for the softer profile of the cucumber-forward Hendrick's, which can take a little more tartness.

The other reason lies with the sour ingredient itself. Sour mix (aka sweet and sour) is a citrus-based simple syrup, so it naturally has some sweetness to it that plays down the tartness of the citrus. This makes the honey syrup less critical for obtaining a well-balanced drink.

Keep these two factors in mind as you play around with the Bee's Knees. It's likely that each new gin you introduce will require a little more or a little less of either ingredient.