Adobe Stock / Elena Medoks
The Surf & Turf Bar & Grill cocktail highlights citrus flavors and a hint of sweet with lemon juice, blood orange bitters, and local honey.
Libation of the Month
Orange Blossom Bee’s Knees
Where to Find It
Surf & Turf Bar & Grill
947 N. Dupont Blvd., Milford; 503-5555; surfnturfhouse.com
In the 1920s and ’30s, calling someone “the bee’s knees” was high praise. However, it’s also the name of a Prohibition-era gin cocktail made with lemon juice and honey to mask the flavor of bathtub gin. Savvy bartenders now use Vermont-made Barr Hill Gin, a boutique spirit finished with raw honey. Surf & Turf mixologist Kindiana “KiKi” Crenshaw puts a summertime spin on the classic by adding blood orange bitters and POM Antioxidant Super Tea, a white tea with orange blossoms. In short, the pretty cocktail truly is “the bee’s knees.”
- 2 ounces of Barr Hill Gin
- 1 ounce of fresh local honey syrup*
- 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice
- 3 dashes of blood orange bitters
- 2 ounces of POM Antioxidant Super Tea
Garnish with a honeysuckle sprig and a brûléed blood orange wheel.
*To make honey syrup, combine 2 ounces of honey with 1 ounce of hot water in a sealed container. Shake until integrated. Let cool. It makes enough for 4 drinks.
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