Penicillin — Scotch cocktail with honey and ginger

Penicillin

Scotch cocktail with honey and ginger

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 3/4 ozFresh Lemon Juice
    Fresh squeezed
    Substitute: Meyer lemon
  • 1/4 ozGinger Liqueur
    Domaine de Canton
    Substitute: Fresh ginger syrup
  • 2 ozScotch Whisky
    Blended Scotch
    Substitute: Islay float optional
  • 1/4 ozIslay Scotch
    Ardbeg float
    Substitute: Laphroaig acceptable
  • 3/4 ozHoney Syrup
    Honey and water 1:1
    Substitute: Agave syrup

Instructions

  1. Add 2 oz blended Scotch, 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice, and 3/4 oz honey syrup to shaker
  2. Add 1/4 oz ginger liqueur
  3. Fill with ice and shake vigorously
  4. Strain over fresh ice in old fashioned glass
  5. Float 1/4 oz Islay Scotch on top

    Pour slowly over bar spoon

  6. Garnish with candied ginger

Technique Notes

Float the Islay on the back of a spoon and do not stir it in. The peat is meant to arrive through the nose on every sip, not to be part of the body.

Why the Penicillin Works

The Islay float is the trick — peat smoke enters through the nose on every sip while the blended Scotch carries the structure underneath. Ginger and honey are an old folk-medicine pairing that lemon ties together with acid, and the smoke transforms a sour into something that feels medicinal in the best sense.

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