Bees Knees from @grandmasginparlour
... thank you Carol! ...
It’s Friday, it’s just gone 5 o’clock and it’s gin cocktail time again!
If you’re on Instagram and you love gin, this Friday’s cocktail photo above is one from the amazing Carol aka @grandmasginparlour
Based here in the UK, she shares her extensive gin collection and cocktail creations on Instagram. She’s well worth following for all year round gin-spiration so do look her up and say hi from me!
This week’s cocktail is a Bees Knees
There’s something so comforting about combining honey and lemon together, I think.
Like a healthy elixir, the combination is a powerhouse of nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Several studies claim that combining honey and lemon helps burn fat, clear acne and flush out toxins from the body.
Hot lemon with honey has a similar effect to cough medicines and is what my mother gave me as a child when I had coughs and colds. I’m sure it was a remedy passed down from her mother, who will undoubtedly have learnt it from hers.
Hooray for maternalism and grandmothers - the most unsung heroes in every society!
You can hear all about my Little Nan, Big Nan and Nan who made me believe in fairies over on The Joy of Gin Podcast.
It made me smile this week to see my (25 year old) daughter come back home from the shops having bought her own little string bag of lemons and some runny honey to make her own soothing drinks….
The ‘mother-to-the-daughter’ legacy lives on!
So… as winter nights start to draw in here in the northern hemisphere and people’s S.A.D. begins to kick in, this recipe is a wonderful pick me up for a Friday night and, of course, I reckon you’ll think it’s the Bees Knees!
You need a cocktail shaker for this cocktail because it contains citrus and that honey will also need some agitating.
If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, a large lidded jar, big enough to hold plenty of ice will serve you just as well.
You can obviously replace Carol’s choice of Batch Apple & Honey Gin with any gin of your choice - you’ve still got honey in the mix for that flavour and smoothness.
Carol’s gin from Batch Distillery, was distilled with real honey. As a business, their mission is to make the most adventurous spirits in the UK with unusual ingredients. They distil various gins and botanical blends in small batches - so unfortunately, the one in Carol’s photo doesn’t seem to be available any more.
Do take a look at their website though, where you’ll find fascinating ideas such as Personalised Christmas Gin, which contains 12 botanicals including Frankincense and Myrrh and Christmas Cookie Gin which is distilled with warming spices such as allspice, cloves, ginger and nutmeg, balanced with sweet sugar and luscious apricot.
Two lovely sounding gins full of yuletide joy.
So… going back to Carol’s original recipe, though, I think there’s something very special about having a hint of apple in this drink, so tweak the ingredients as you see fit, depending on what juices you have available in your fridge.
Apples, Lemons, Orange and Honey…. mmm my mouth’s just watering at the thought of it!
Happy Friday!
Chin Chin…
Robbie x
@Grandmasginparlour Bees Knees Cocktail
60ml Batch Apple & Honey Gin
22.5ml lemon juice
4 teaspoons runny honey
10ml orange juice
I stirred the honey, lemon juice and orange juice in the base of my shaker until the honey was dissolved and then added the fabulous gin with plenty of ice and gave it a good shake.