The phrase "bee's knees" was Prohibition era slang for "the best."  So how is this simple cocktail anti-Nazi?  Frank Meier, creator of the modern Bee's Knees, was the lead bartender at what is now Bar Hemingway in the Ritz Hotel in Paris.  After including the drink in his 1936 book The Artistry of Mixing Drinks, during World War II Meier was a French Resistance operative, undermining the high ranking Nazis who patronized his bar.  In this respect Meier was much like Felix Kir, who created the eponymous Kir.  Gives new meaning to the phrase "liquid courage," right?

2 ounces gin
.75 ounces lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
.75 ounces honey syrup (see below)

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake with the confidence of being the best at something, and strain into a chilled glass (preferably coupe).  Lemon peel garnish optional.

Making honey syrup is so easy even I can do it (see A Thief In The Night). You may want to adjust the amount of syrup depending on the type of honey.  When I made the Bee's Knees I happened to use buckwheat honey syrup, which has a richer taste than regular honey (it's also why the drink in the photo is darker than a typical Bee's Knees).

It's not clear who originally created the Bee's Knees, which is sort of the gin version of a Whiskey Sour.  San Francisco bartender Bill Boothby referred to it in his 1934 book World Drinks and How to Make Them.  However, his version also contained orange juice.  I prefer Meier's take on the Bee's Knees. It doesn't overpower the cocktail with citric acidity.  More importantly, it's tasty and refreshing.

You want to be the best?  You want to be anti-Nazi?  Then have a Bee's Knees.

Reading about unsung cocktail heroes is good, but why read when you can listen?  Eric Kozlik, the CEO of Modern Bar Cart, interviewed me for his podcast.  It was a great experience. Here's our conversation about bitters, vermouth, and liqueurs (it's episode #8).        

Eric has interviewed a lot of really interesting people about some great cocktail subjects, so I encourage you to listen to the other episodes. I've learned a lot by listening to them. You probably will, too.  The podcast is a wonderful example of connecting over cocktails.  Ms. Wulf Cocktail Den and I met Eric at the Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans, and we reconnected at an event in Washington, D.C. earlier this year.

Our podcast episode (you can listen below) covers a lot of topics such as how James Bond disrupted the Martini, and what I would order if I could drink with my late grandfathers. We also discussed general cocktail categories such as amari (bitter liqueurs), and specific cocktails like the Manhattan, the Ward 8, and the Derby.

If you listen to the episode, keep this in mind -- I wasn't kidding.  I have walked alone through the yard of a maximum security federal prison.  No, I was not incarcerated. Want to the hear the story? Buy me a good cocktail.

Drinking in Ireland means beer and whiskey, right?  Not always. As Ms. Wulf Cocktail Den and I recently discovered, the cocktail scene in Ireland is growing. The most common one you'll see is a combination of Jameson whiskey, ginger ale, and lime. Using Barrow's Intense ginger liqueur (full disclosure -- I am a small investor), the Intense Irish is my twist on this ubiquitous Irish cocktail.

2 ounces Irish whiskey (I used Jameson Caskmates)
1.25 ounces Barrow's Intense
Juice from 1/4 lime

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake with the thrilling intensity of speeding through an Irish roundabout on what seems to be the wrong side of the road (if you're American), and strain into a chilled glass.

Generally speaking Irish whiskey is a little smoother and less peaty than its more well known counterpart from Scotland. Find one you like and use it.  The Barrow's Intense is indispensable.  It packs a much stronger punch than ginger ale, both in ginger flavor and alcoholic potency. The Intense Irish is sort of similar to the Mamie Taylor, except it has fewer ingredients. 

To paraphrase Bono and Obi Wan Kenobi (yes, I can tie U2 and Star Wars together) -- you've found the Intense Irish, and it is the drink you're looking for.