Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Bebbo??

Happy Friday once again. This week I outsourced my decision on what to make and write about for you all to Mrs. Sharkbait. I was waffling between this drink and another one. After an evening spent hanging blinds and wondering if the pictures we were hanging were straight, she loudly proclaimed she would like a cocktail when we were finished. So I gave her the Vintage Spirits And Forgotten Cocktails book (both drinks were in there) and she choose the Bebbo Cocktail.

The description of the Bebbo compares it to a Bee’s Knees, but with orange juice. Having previously made a Bee’s Knees, and being a fan of it, I thought Mrs. Sharkbait made a good choice and mixed us each one.

Bebbo Cocktail

1.5 oz. Gin

1 oz. Fresh lemon juice

.5 oz. Honey

2 tsp. Orange juice

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and stir until the honey is dissolved. Add ice, shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

The drink is quite lemony on the nose. I also get a slight orange aroma as well. I used fresh lemon, and store bought orange juice. I wonder if the ratio of lemon to orange would be a bit more even if I had fresh oranges to squeeze. Perhaps next time. Mrs. Sharkbait said her drink reminded her of a lemon drop.

The sip starts off with a pleasant mixture of the gin, lemon and the honey. Neither overshadows the other and they complement each other very well. The orange juice somewhat fills in about midway through and the combination of the four provides the flavor profile the rest of the way through. The orange juice leaves behind a taste after the sip is done, but I don’t hate it. The lemon flavor is the weakest of the main ingredients, but I believe its strength is adding acidity, and a deeper flavor than what the orange juice can provide. Omitting the lemon would be a mistake here.

The cocktail cherry adds a nice bit of flavor towards the end of the drink itself. It also adds a nice color on the bottom of the coupe as the syrup sinks. It’s reminiscent of a tequila sunrise in that regard. As I said earlier in this piece, this is just like a Bee’s Knees, but in my opinion slightly better. It isn’t as sweet as a Bee’s Knees which I appreciate. Which I assume is the result of using straight honey, as opposed to honey syrup.

The Bebbo is not overly boozy. I would definitely order a second one, maybe a third as well. Though this one seems like it would sneak up on you soon if you weren’t careful…

(Banner image found here)