Let’s Talk About Wine

Wine cocktails get a bad rap and for good reason. Who hasn’t suffered a nasty hangover drinking sugary sangria or tried to talk yourself into enjoying a wine margarita? And then, there are all type of spritzers. Many are quite nice, but they can’t come close to the complex layer of flavors that you get from a cocktail. But that changed for me when I made it my mission to find some tasty wine-based drinks that don’t taste like wine. One of my most popular venues, the Annenberg Community Beach House, doesn’t allow spirits, and we often serve guests who don’t drink hard alcohol. The trick I found is to match the right type of wine with the type of cocktail you are creating.

I would like to introduce you to the Bees Knees, a classic gin, lemon juice and honey simple syrup cocktail made popular in the 1920s.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz Moscato wine (your choice)
• 1 tbs Fresh Lemon Juice (or less to taste)
• 2 tbs Honey Simple Syrup

Directions:

Honey Simple Syrup: blend equal parts water and honey in a saucepan on the stove. Heat at medium high heat, stirring often until honey is dissolved. Store in a container in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Select your favorite glass, add ice and all ingredients and stir to blend well. Garnish with a lemon twist, peel or wedge and enjoy.