Get past its somewhat redundant name (a Prohibition-era Bee’s Knees is, after all, a slight variation on the sour) and you’ll find that this unabashedly girly cocktail, served in a vintage-looking French wine glass rimmed with purple sugar, is way more fun than its pedestrian moniker suggests. It’s essentially a Bee’s Knees (gin, honey, lemon juice) made with honey-lavender syrup, the lavender lending floral, herbaceous and menthol notes that harmonize beautifully with similar elements found in the Botanist Gin. Save the Bordeaux-soaked cherry garnish for a dessert-like finish to the last drop.
You’ll need to track down some lavender, but this is otherwise an easy cocktail to make.
Combine 2 oz. Botanist Gin, ¾ oz. honey-lavender syrup* and ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice in a cocktail canister or glass with ice and stir for 10 seconds. Rim the glass with purple sugar** using lemon juice. Fine-strain the cocktail into a French wine glass and garnish with a lemon twist and a toothpick-skewered cherry across the top of the glass.
*Combine 32 oz. honey, 26 oz. water and 8 oz. culinary lavender in a pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, for six minutes. Fine-strain the syrup to remove the lavender and chill.
**Put 1 cup of sugar in a resealable bag and add three drops of blue food coloring. Work the sugar around until it turns purple.
$14
The Last Drop Bar
5532 N. Palo Cristi Rd., Paradise Valley
602-955-8614, hermosainn.com
