The Dr. Pedersen — that’s “Ped” as in Pedestrians Pedaled Pedantically — is a variation of a Bee’s Knees gin cocktail, named in honor of Dr. Anne-Marie Pedersen, professor of composition and rhetoric and my exceptional wife.

The Bee’s Knees, a Prohibition-era cocktail, is rumored to have been invented by Frank Meier, who was the first head bartender at the Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1921, when its Cafe Parisian opened its doors.

Typically made with honey or honey simple syrup (get it? Bee’s?), the Dr. Pedersen is a variation with the honey swapped out for an elderflower liqueur, like St. Germain, after the Good Professor took a liking towards the floral notes of elderflower while sipping on Hugo Spritz cocktails during a summer sojourn in Riva del Garda in Northern Italy earlier this year — but that’s a cocktail and a tale for another day.

The Dr. Pedersen:

  • 2 oz. gin
  • 0.75 oz. FRESH lemon juice
  • 0.75 oz. elderflower liqueur

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds and strain off the ice into a coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a lemon peel, a lemon wheel or even nothing at all.