Kristina Soljo
Since launching their eponymous Hobart micro-distillery Taylor & Smith in 2018, Ben Taylor and Natalie Smith have made a point of seeking out singular ingredients to capture the essence of Tasmania’s wilderness in their experimental spirits. Who better, then, to collaborate with on a honey-flavoured gin than celebrated chef (and beekeeper) Analiese Gregory?
The hives on Gregory’s Huon Valley property produce a mix of stringybark and garden honey, resulting in a gin that, in Smith’s words, “brings to mind the Tassie landscape, all those beautiful native plants the bees have visited, the myrtle and bottlebrush, and hints of paperbark”. The insects play as vital a part in the spirit’s texture as they do its taste, too, as each bottle is lined with beeswax before filling, resulting in a silky mouthfeel and more pronounced honeycomb character.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, all that makes the gin a shoo-in for a star turn in a Bee’s Knees, the trusty Prohibition-era classic propelled by no more than honey and fresh lemon juice. This ever-so-slight variation throws in a splash of elderflower liqueur, which ends things on a faintly sweeter and more fragrant high note.
How to make Bee’s Knees cocktail
For honey syrup, add 1 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of water to a saucepan.
Stir over medium heat until dissolved and allow to cool. Chill a coupe glass.
In a cocktail shaker, combine 60ml Taylor & Smith Honey Gin, 25ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, 15ml honey syrup and 10ml elderflower liqueur. Fill with ice and shake vigorously until well chilled.
Double strain into the coupe and garnish with a lemon twist.
Elderflower liqueurs to try in a Bee’s Knees cocktail
Fiorente Italian Elderflower liqueur
Mint, lime, lemon and lemon peel round out the fragrance of wild blossoms in this lightly golden Piedmontese liqueur.
G.E Mssenez Liqueur de Fleur de Sureau
Massenez’s “triple concentrated” liqueurs are unmatched in purity and intensity, just as rewarding neat as in cocktails.
St-Germain Elderflower liqueur
A lingering thwack of acidity evens out St-Germain’s vivid perfume, considered the yardstick for elderflower liqueurs.
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