When Olive Shine, the protagonist of my novel, The Show Girl, invites her friends to visit White Pines Camp in the Adirondacks for the summer, she serves the camp’s signature drink: a Maple Bee’s Knees—a twist on the better-known Honey Bee’s Knees,—using maple syrup tapped from the trees on the camp’s property. When Olive returns to New York City for her final show she brings all the girls a small jar of maple syrup. 

“Makes for a fine maple bee’s knees,” Olive says. 

“What no honey,” Gladys asks.

“That’s right —our barkeep makes them with maple syrup instead, lemon, and plenty of gin.”

Enjoy this Maple Bee’s Knees recipe!

-Nicola Harrison

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