Tequila Honey Bee

If a bee’s knees cocktail is made with gin, then maybe this tequila honey bee is the bee’s, um, elbow? I took the pre-Prohibition classic cocktail and swapped in tequila, added a swish of mezcal, a good squeeze of lemon and a homemade honey syrup. What I ended up with was smoky, bright, and a little more interesting than the original. It’s the kind of drink that makes you look like you know what you are doing behind the bar, even if the most complicated thing you made last week was a grilled cheese.

You’ll do something sneaky with the mezcal here: You swirl it in the glass and dump it out before building the rest of the drink. This is called a rinse, a classic bartender trick that leaves just enough campfire-and-agave aroma to make people wonder how you did it, and which doesn’t make it taste like a mezcal cocktail. The tequila, lemon and honey syrup handle the rest, and the whole thing comes together in about two minutes flat.

Ingredients for Tequila Honey Bee

• Mezcal: A mezcal rinse leaves just enough smoky, earthy character to make this drink feel like it has a secret. You can discard it or down it as you prep the rest of this tequila drink.
• Tequila: Blanco tequila is the move—it’s bright and clean with vegetal agave notes that pair perfectly with lemon and honey. Reposado tequila will also work if you want a slightly rounder, warmer flavor.
• Fresh lemon juice: Do not skip the fresh squeeze. Juicing lemons for cocktails is always worth the extra effort because bottled lemon juice has a flat, slightly metallic quality that will dull the whole drink. One lemon gives you plenty of juice for a cocktail or two.
• Honey syrup: You can make honey syrup with equal parts honey and warm water, stirred together until smooth. That’s it. Making it yourself takes about two minutes, and the flavor is so much rounder and more nuanced than simple syrup. Wildflower honey is a lovely choice here, but whatever type of honey you have on hand is fine.

Directions

Step 1: Make the honey syrup

Combine 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup of water in a small jar or bowl, and stir until the honey is fully dissolved. Let the honey syrup cool to room temperature before using it; warm syrup will melt your ice too fast.

Editor’s Tip: I add a little extra honey to the 1-to-1 ratio to make it thicker. Using 1/4 cup of each gives you enough syrup for several cocktails. Leftover syrup makes a fantastic addition to hot tea or a smoothie, so nothing will go to waste.

Step 2: Rinse the glass with mezcal

Pour a small amount of mezcal into the coupe glass. Tilt and swirl the glass to coat the inside with the mezcal, then pour it out.

Editor’s Tip: Chill your glass first for the best results. Pop it in the freezer for a few minutes or fill it with ice water while you prepare everything else, then empty it before the mezcal rinse.

Step 3: Shake the cocktail

Combine the tequila, fresh lemon juice, and 3/4 ounce of honey syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for about 15 to 20 seconds until the outside of the shaker feels very cold. You are chilling and diluting the cocktail at the same time, and both are important.

Step 4: Strain and garnish the cocktail

Strain the cocktail into the mezcal-washed coupe glass. Garnish it with lemon peel, if desired. Serve it immediately.

Editor’s Tip: Flaming the lemon peel before adding it to the glass doubles down on smoky flavors in the drink.

Tequila Honey Bee Variations

• Make it spicy: Muddle a thin slice of fresh jalapeno in the shaker before adding the other ingredients for a slow, building heat that plays really well against the sweetness of the honey and the acidity of the lemon. For another extra pop, make your syrup with hot honey.
• Skip the booze: Replace the tequila with a nonalcoholic agave spirit and skip the mezcal rinse entirely. Use the same amounts of lemon juice and honey syrup, and you’ll have a bright, refreshing mocktail that doesn’t feel like a consolation prize.
• Swap in lime: Replace the lemon juice with fresh lime juice for a flavor profile that’s more margarita-adjacent. It’s a different cocktail, but it’s a very good one.

How to Make Tequila Honey Bees for a Group

Batching this cocktail for a crowd is pretty straightforward. Combine the tequila, lemon juice and honey syrup in a large pitcher and refrigerate the mixture until you’re ready to serve. When guests arrive, shake and pour individual servings over ice. Remember to give each glass a quick mezcal rinse first. The batched base can be made up to 24 hours ahead, though the lemon juice is brightest on day one. The honey syrup itself keeps for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, so you can always make a big batch of that well in advance.

Tequila Honey Bee Tips

What’s the best type of glass for a tequila honey bee?

A coupe glass is the classic cocktail glass for cocktails like this one that are served up without ice. It keeps the drink cold, shows off the pale golden color beautifully, and feels properly elegant without being fussy. This drink can definitely be served in a rocks glass over ice, too, just know it might be more diluted.