It was possibly invented by Frank Meier, an Austrian-born, part Jewish bartender who was the first head bartender at the Ritz in Paris in 1921, when its Cafe Parisian opened its doors.

[2] A 1929 news article attributes the cocktail to Margaret Brown, an American socialite.

[3] In 2017, Barr Hill Gin started an annual event called Bee's Knees Week to promote their product.

Bee's Knees Week is the largest sustainability event in the spirits industry, focused on pollinator protection.

[4][5] A 2023 article published by The New York Times credited an increase in the cocktail's popularity in part to Bee's Knees Week.