Lavender Bees Knees

Lavender Bees Knees

Recipe by Marielle Elizabeth

Gin forward and herbaceous, a drink that was born during the height of prohibition to conceal the slightly less than drinkable bathtub gin. I promise it tastes better with quality gin - but hey no judgement here, gin is gin. And we're old friends anyways, just raising a glass to the starry night above.

Ingredients

• Sugar
• Lemon Zest
• Culinary-grade dried lavender
• Water
• Raw White Honey
• Gin
• Fresh Lemon
• Plum Bitters
• Honeycomb
• A fistful of ice

To Make Simple Syrup

1. Measure out a 1 cup of sugar into a mortar and pestle. Zest a lemon on top of the sugar and work the zest together with the sugar until it is damp and fragrant. 
2. Add lemon sugar to a saucepan with 1/2 a cup of water and over medium heat bring just shy of a boil. Stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Take off the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of lavender to the simple syrup and let steep for five minutes.
4. Strain out lavender with a cocktail strainer and add roughly 1/2 cup of raw honey to the syrup. 
5. Let cool and store in a refrigerator for up to one week. To extend the life of the syrup add 1 tsp of gin or vodka.

To Make Lavender Bees Knees

1. Measure out equal parts Lavender Simple Syrup, Gin and freshly squeezed lemon juice. For a single cocktail use 1.5 ounces of each. 
2. Add all three ingredients to a shaker with two cubes of ices and shake until well combined and ice cold.  
3. Strain and serve in a coup | martini glass, with a dash or two of plum bitters.  
4. Garnish with honeycomb whenever, if ever possible. I assure you it's worth it.