--- title: "Bee Sting Tasty Cocktail" date: 2026-06-10 published: 2022-02-15 author: "Dragos Nistor" featured_image: "https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/pexels-bianca-jelezniac-8916526-scaled.jpg" categories: - name: "Recipes" url: "/recipes.md" --- # Bee Sting Tasty Cocktail HoneyBee & Co. · Recipe ## Bee Sting: The Tasty Honey Cocktail By [Dragos Nistor](https://honeybeeandco.uk/about/) · Updated June 2026 ![Bee Sting: The Tasty Honey Cocktail](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/pexels-bianca-jelezniac-8916526-scaled.jpg "1") Prep2 min Cook0 min Total2 min Yield1 cocktail CuisineAmerican Three ingredients, one shaker, sixty seconds. The Bee Sting is the classic honey cocktail, originally published by Louis P. De Gouy in The Gold Cookbook. White rum, fresh lemon juice, and raw honey, balanced so precisely that adjusting any one ratio shifts the whole drink. The result is somewhere between a daiquiri and a hot toddy without the heat: bright, lemony, with a floral honey finish that lingers. “When life gives you lemons, make the Bee Sting cocktail.” Louis P. De Gouy ## Where the Bee Sting Came From The Bee Sting was published by Louis P. De Gouy in The Gold Cookbook (1947), one of the great mid-century American cocktail compendiums. De Gouy was the head chef at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and one of the most influential cookbook writers of his era. The Gold Cookbook is largely a French and Continental reference, but its cocktail section preserves a number of Caribbean rum drinks that were popular at the time. The Bee Sting is the simplest of them, and arguably the most enduring. The recipe has since been republished and adapted across the cocktail world: [The Kitchy Kitchen](https://www.thekitchykitchen.com/?recipes=/the-bee-sting-cocktail/) is one of the better modern adaptations. ## Why the Three-Ingredient Formula Works Classic cocktails often follow a sour template: spirit, citrus, sweetener. The Bee Sting is a sour built on rum, lemon, and honey. The white rum provides the alcohol backbone with minimal flavour interference. The lemon juice brings sharpness and acidity that prevents the drink from being cloying. The honey replaces the sugar syrup of a standard daiquiri and adds the floral character that gives the drink its name. Get the ratios right (3 parts rum, 1 part lemon, 1 part honey) and the drink balances itself. The Recipe ## Bee Sting: The Tasty Honey Cocktail Prep**2 min** Cook**0 min** Yield**1 cocktail**### Ingredients - 45ml (1 1/2 oz) white rum - 15ml (1/2 oz) fresh lemon juice - 15ml (1/2 oz) raw HoneyBee & Co. Acacia honey - Ice cubes - Lemon twist or wedge, to garnish ### Method 1. If your honey is thick or has crystallised, warm it gently. Place the jar in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 5 minutes, or stir 1 teaspoon at a time into a tablespoon of hot water until dissolved. This ensures the honey will incorporate cleanly into the cocktail rather than sinking to the bottom. 2. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. 3. Add the rum, lemon juice, and raw Acacia honey to the shaker. 4. Seal and shake vigorously for around 15 seconds. The shaker should feel cold to the touch and frosted on the outside. 5. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. 6. Garnish with a lemon twist or wedge. Serve immediately. ![Bee Sting: The Tasty Honey Cocktail](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/pexels-isabella-mendes-338713-678x1024.jpg "2") A Second Method ## Hot Honey Toddy (winter variation) When the weather drops below 5C and the Bee Sting feels wrong, the same ingredients reorganise into a hot toddy. Aged dark rum, hot water, lemon, honey, served in a heatproof glass. The drink that gets made at midnight in a cottage in the Lake District. ### Ingredients - 45ml aged dark rum (Mount Gay Eclipse, Appleton Estate Reserve, or similar) - 120ml hot water (around 80C, just off the boil) - 15ml fresh lemon juice - 1 tablespoon raw HoneyBee & Co. Wildflower or Heather honey - 1 cinnamon stick (optional) - 1 thin slice of lemon, to serve ### Method 1. Warm a heatproof glass or mug by filling with hot water and letting stand for 30 seconds. Pour out. 2. Add the honey to the warmed glass and pour over the hot water. Stir until the honey is fully dissolved. 3. Wait 30 seconds for the water to cool slightly to around 65 to 70C. This protects the raw honey enzymes. 4. Add the lemon juice and rum. Stir gently. 5. Drop in the cinnamon stick (if using) and float a lemon slice on top. 6. Drink slowly while the glass is warm. From The HoneyBee & Co. Kitchen Acacia honey is the cleanest choice for this cocktail because it stays liquid at room temperature and mixes cleanly with the lemon and rum. Heather would dominate. Wildflower works for a more complex floral note but masks some of the lemon. For a winter variation, replace the white rum with aged dark rum and use Wildflower honey: the result is closer to a hot toddy in cocktail form, even when served cold. Our Honey Range ## The right HoneyBee & Co. honey for your kitchen Six raw, single-origin honeys from our family hives in Transylvania and trusted British beekeepers in Yorkshire and the Midlands. Subscribe and save 20% on every delivery. [ ![HoneyBee & Co. Acacia honey jar](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/acacia-honey-600x749-1.avif "3")Light & Floral ### Acacia Light, runny, delicately floral. The default choice for sauces, dressings and delicate desserts. Shop → ](https://honeybeeandco.uk/acacia-honey/) [ ![HoneyBee & Co. Heather honey jar](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/heather-honey-600x750-1.avif "4")Bold & Resinous ### Heather Yorkshire Moors heather. The bold note that cuts through cheese, glazes red meat, lifts gingerbread. Shop → ](https://honeybeeandco.uk/heather-honey/) [ ![HoneyBee & Co. Wildflower honey jar](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wildflower-honey.avif "5")All-Rounder ### Wildflower British Midlands polyfloral. The everyday all-rounder. Works on a board, on porridge, in baking. Shop → ](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wildflower-honey/) [ ![HoneyBee & Co. Soft Set honey jar](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/soft-set-honey-600x751-1.avif "6")Spreadable ### Soft Set Creamy, spreadable, holds its shape. The breakfast favourite for toast, crumpets, and scones. Shop → ](https://honeybeeandco.uk/soft-set-honey/) Tips ## Things *worth knowing* ### Use fresh lemon juice Bottled lemon juice is the single biggest mistake people make with this cocktail. The bitterness profile is wrong and the brightness is gone. Squeeze a fresh lemon every time, even when it feels like effort. ### Honey straight from the jar will not mix Cold honey is too thick to combine with cold spirits in a shaker. Warm the honey slightly first, or pre-dissolve in a teaspoon of hot water before adding to the shaker. This is the difference between a smooth cocktail and a sticky one. ### Quality rum matters less than you think For this cocktail, a mid-shelf white rum is plenty. Save your good rum for sipping. The honey and lemon dominate the flavour profile, so an expensive rum is largely wasted. ### Adjust to taste The 3:1:1 ratio is the canonical version. If you prefer it sweeter, push the honey to 1.5 parts. If you prefer it sharper, push the lemon to 1.5 parts. Just do not adjust both at once or you will throw the alcohol balance off. Common Questions ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What rum should I use for a Bee Sting? A clean white rum like Bacardi Superior, Havana Club 3 Años, or El Dorado 3 Year. Avoid spiced rums (the spices fight the honey) or heavily aged dark rums (the molasses notes overpower the lemon). For an aged variation, swap white rum for Mount Gay Eclipse or similar amber rum. ### Can I make a Bee Sting without rum? Yes, with substitutions. Vodka makes a cleaner, less interesting Bee Sting. Gin works but tilts the drink toward a Bee's Knees (which is the gin equivalent and worth knowing as a separate drink). Tequila blanco works for a Mexican twist. For a non-alcoholic version, replace the rum with cold-brewed black tea and serve over ice. ### Why does my honey clump in the cocktail? The honey is too cold. Cold honey will not dissolve in cold spirits, and you will end up with a sticky lump at the bottom of your glass. Warm the honey slightly before adding to the shaker, or pre-dissolve a teaspoon of honey in a teaspoon of hot water and use the resulting honey syrup instead. ### Can I batch this for a party? Yes. For 8 cocktails, combine 360ml white rum, 120ml fresh lemon juice, and 120ml warmed Acacia honey in a jug and stir until the honey is fully dissolved. Refrigerate. When serving, pour 75ml of the mixture into a shaker with ice, shake, and strain. The batched mixture keeps for 24 hours in the fridge. ### Is the Bee Sting strong? Yes. With 45ml of rum, it is a stiff drink, roughly the same strength as a daiquiri. One is enough to relax with after dinner. Two is a Friday night decision. Three is a regret. ### Where did the recipe come from originally? Louis P. De Gouy published the Bee Sting in The Gold Cookbook in 1947. De Gouy was the head chef at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and one of the most influential cookbook writers of mid-century America. The Gold Cookbook is mostly French and Continental cuisine but preserves a strong cocktail section, including a number of rum-based drinks like this one. ![Dragos Nistor, founder of HoneyBee & Co.](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Dragos-Nistor-Founder-at-HoneyBee-Co.-.jpg "7")## About the editor **Dragos Nistor** is the founder of HoneyBee & Co., the sixth generation of his family to keep bees. The brand has been featured in Vogue across three consecutive editions in summer 2024 and supplies NHS staff rooms, Premier League clubs and a handful of London hotels he is not allowed to name. He writes about raw honey, beekeeping, and the recipes the family kitchen has developed over six generations. **Founder, HoneyBee & Co.** · [Read his story →](https://honeybeeandco.uk/about/) From The Kitchen Table ## Tried This Recipe? Tell us how it went. Your review helps other home cooks. Loading reviews Recent Reviews ## You might also like [Pairing · Aperitif### Honey with Wine and Cheese The full aperitif pairing guide. Six cheese profiles, seven wines, and the brand range that built it.](https://honeybeeandco.uk/honey-with-wine-and-cheese/) [Range · Acacia### Raw Acacia Honey Light, floral, stays liquid. The right honey for cocktails, dressings, and delicate desserts.](https://honeybeeandco.uk/acacia-honey/) [Reference · Health### Honey vs Sugar The definitive comparison. GI, antioxidants, processing, and what the science actually says.](https://honeybeeandco.uk/honey-vs-sugar/)