In our Drink of the Week segment, we’ll showcase one unique type of beer, wine, cocktail — you name it — to try at one of the countless breweries, bars and restaurants from around the basin.

Yes, it’s true I have written about the bee’s knees cocktail a couple of times in this weekly feature. But, does that mean we shouldn’t talk about cocktails just because they have the same name? Do all pepperoni pizzas taste the same? Of course not. That’s why we’re going to push forward this week and let you know how Sage Leaf’s version varies from the others — and most other traditional bee’s knees cocktails. 

To begin, your main ingredients in the traditional sense are gin, lemon juice and honey. Right off the bat, this version switches gears and uses my favorite gin, Empress — which not only looks nothing like a normal gin in color (indigo vs. clear), but also is less pine-y than its competitors. 

Joining the gin in the mixer are egg white, honey-lavender simple syrup and lemon. It is shaken like a 6.0 earthquake to help the egg whites foam up and soften the drink then poured in the glass with a simple garnish of fresh thyme. 

The gorgeous color comes through in its appearance and smells clean and crisp. At first sip, the citrus is the first thing to hit. It quickly gives way to the gin and the honey-lavender sweetness, then finishing with a feeling like liquid velvet. The egg whites do so much for this drink, it’s like having a personal trainer working with every ingredient on their best feature and maximizing it for the perfect drink. 

Great cocktails can come from simple ingredients and concepts if they’re paired perfectly. Yes, if you can’t tell, I am big fan of this drink. It may just be my favorite variation of the bee’s knees that I’ve had. Scratch that. I’ll own up to it and say it is the best. Not that the others are bad, it’s just this one seems to stand on an island all it’s own.   

Sage Leaf is located at 893 Tahoe Blvd. Ste. 600 in Incline Village. For menu, hours of operation and more information visit them on the web at sageleaftahoe.com or reach them via phone at 775-413-5005.