Rosemary's The Bee's Knees: a Classic Prohibition-era Cocktail

I am always on the lookout for a special cocktail or two to serve over the holidays. Garnish and Gather, based in Atlanta, shared this recipe on their blog earlier this year and said it was perfect for a hot summer day.  And I don't disagree.  But I held onto the recipe for the holidays.  I gave it a test run to see if we liked it, and it was lovely.  I think the flavors of the gin and the honey are well-suited for a chilly evening, as is the sprig of rosemary.

As they say, this cocktail is the bee's knees! It was also a great excuse to buy two gorgeous coupe glasses. This recipe makes 2 cocktails.
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Rosemary's The Bee's Knees
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INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 cups water
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 oz gin
• 1 lemon
• ice
• cocktail shaker
• veggie peeler
• coupe glasses

INSTRUCTIONS:MAKE ROSEMARY HONEY SYRUP

• Add honey, water and 2 rosemary sprigs to a small saucepan
• Simmer over med heat for about 10 min, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat to cool (move to the fridge or freezer to cool more quickly)
• Store any Rosemary Honey Syrup you don’t use right away in the fridge

PREP GARNISH & MAKE COCKTAIL

• Using a veggie peeler, remove 2 2-inch slivers of rind from the lemon
• Juice lemon
• In a cocktail shaker, mix gin, 2 oz lemon juice, 3 oz Rosemary Honey Syrup & ice, and shake well (adjust ratios to taste, if desired)
• Strain into 2 coupe glasses and add a rosemary sprig to each glass for garnish
• Wrap lemon rinds tightly around a metal straw or the rounded handle of a wooden spoon, pressing on the rind tightly for about 20 sec, then gently remove and place a lemon twist on the edge of each glass
• Enjoy!

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