Lavender Bee’s Knees Cocktail

Last Updated on July 1, 2025 by Leah Hall

We love the flavors in this classic gin cocktail, light and herbal with the lavender, perfectly citrus-y with the lemon! Cheers to summer with this Lavender Bees Knees!

One of the our garden herbs we have been really enjoying is our lavender, its purple flowers fragrantly floral in the summer sun. Make this Lavender Cocktail, as well as other cocktails with lavender syrup for your next dinner party! Some great suggestions are our Lavender Collins, Blackberry Lavender Gin Sour, or a Mint Lavender Gin Limeade. 

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Lavender Bees Knees

We enjoy using lavender in other cocktails like the Brandy and Blackberry Lavender Shrub and our Lavender Old Fashioned. Using lavender added a rich floral freshness to the recipe, too. We then decided to use a lavender infused simple syrup to make a delicious summer cocktail, a Lavender Bees Knees.

Bees Knees Cocktail

The Bees Knees is a delicious classic cocktail recipe that has been around since prohibition. Bees Knees got its name from the popular 1920’s phrase “It’s the bee’s knees,” meaning the best. The Bees Knees is a take off of the old standby, the Gin Sour cocktail, but uses honey to add a rich complex sweetness to the drink.

Likely the change from the classic recipe to add a big dose of honey syrup was to hide the questionable flavors of the bathtub gin that was common in the 1920’s.

When we started making a Lavender Bees Knees, we found the original seemed too sweet, especially for a porch sipper. Try our Spicy Bees Knees, too!

Lavender Honey Syrup

So, we love a nice lavender simple syrup, but we decided to sub in some sugar for some honey. We decided to go half sugar and half honey. 

We used a nice light gin, Hendrick’s, which has a nice hint of floral sweetness that worked really well with the lavender flavors. Fresh squeezed lemon juice brings a tart flavor, which makes the Lavender Bees Knees a nice crisp cocktail good for sipping on a summer evening.

We love the bit of honey to keep the rich sweetness and unique flavor in the Lavender Honey Syrup. We hope that you try it with the floral flavor of the lavender. Try lavender in our Lavender Margarita, too!

Tips & Tricks

• Glassware – a classic cocktail needs to be in a coupe glass. If you use a chilled glass, it keeps it cold while sipping on a hot summer evening. 
• Garnish – a lavender sprig, lemon twist or wheel, or lemon peel work well. You can use lavender buds, but you may end up drinking them. 
• Lavender Honey Syrup – the recipe is in the recipe card below. You can use dried lavender or fresh lavender. 
• Gin – we used Hendrick’s, but a botanical gin or London Dry Gin are great options, too!

Cheers to this honey classic!

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Like this recipe? Try these below, too!

Lemon Lavender Gin & Tonic Granita Cocktail

Barenjager Bees Knees

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Yield: 1

Lavender Bees Knees

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Cooling Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes

A lavender twist on the classic bees knees cocktail, with gin and honey.

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Ingredients

For the Lavender Simple Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 4-5 sprigs of lavender and/or flowers
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey

For the Lavender Bees Knees Cocktail

• 1 oz Lavender Honey Simple Syrup
• 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 oz gin

Instructions

For the Cocktail

Add the ingredients to a shaker.

Fill shaker with ice.

Shake and strain into a cocktail coupe.

Garnish with a sprig of Lavender.

Cheers!

For the Lavender Simple Syrup

Bring sugar, honey and water to a boil, take off of heat, and add lavender sprigs.

Let sit for 15 minutes, strain out sprigs.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 268Total Fat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 27mgCarbohydrates: 30.2gFiber: 0.1gSugar: 6.4gProtein: 0.3g

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