Cocktail recipe
Penicillin
Honey, lemon and ginger brighten blended whisky while a smoky malt float adds an unforgettable aromatic finish.
Ingredients
- 60 ml (2 oz) blended Scotch whisky
- 22.5 ml (¾ oz) fresh lemon juice
- 22.5 ml (¾ oz) honey syrup (1:1 honey to water)
- 3 fresh ginger slices, approximately 3 mm thick each
- 7.5 ml (¼ oz) peated single-malt Scotch whisky
- Garnish: 1 slice candied ginger
Preparation
Muddle the fresh ginger slices in a shaker. Add blended whisky, lemon and honey syrup, then shake with ice. Fine-strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Gently float the peated whisky on top; garnish with candied ginger.
Glassware
Rocks glass, large ice cube
History
Sam Ross created the Penicillin at New York's Milk & Honey in 2005, riffing on the bourbon-based Gold Rush and the comforting idea of honey, ginger and lemon as a cold remedy. Ross has explained that the name evokes chicken soup and recuperation rather than an actual medicinal effect. His original formula paired blended Scotch, lemon and honey-ginger syrup, then floated a small measure of peaty Islay malt on top to perfume the first sip. Our use of fresh muddled ginger with separate honey syrup is a deliberate house simplification, not the exact original preparation.
Mixology View
The peated float is the drink's signature punctuation mark. The house method preserves the aroma but should acknowledge that Ross's original relied on prepared honey-ginger syrup.