Penicillin
Penicillin is a sour, citrus and honey cocktail made with Whiskey, with high flavor complexity.
Ingredients
- 60 ml Scotch whisky (recommended: Johnnie Walker Black Label)
- 25 ml honey syrup
- 20 ml lime or lemon juice
- 3 generous slices fresh ginger
- Ice
- Ginger slice
- Optional: applewood chips (for smoking)
Method
- In the shaker, add the ginger slices and the whisky. Muddle the ginger in the spirit to pull out the heat.
- Add the honey syrup and citrus juice.
- Fill with ice and shake hard — the ice hitting the ginger extracts even more flavor.
- Double strain (Hawthorne and fine strainer) into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
- Optional: smoke the glass with applewood chips before serving.
- Garnish with the ginger slice on a pick.
FAQ
What is in a Penicillin?
A Penicillin is made with 60 ml Scotch whisky (recommended: Johnnie Walker Black Label), 25 ml honey syrup, 20 ml lime or lemon juice, 3 generous slices fresh ginger, Ice, Ginger slice and Optional: applewood chips (for smoking).
Is a Penicillin strong?
A Penicillin is spirit-forward: little mixer, and the alcohol shows.
When should you serve a Penicillin?
A Penicillin fits a classic.
What is the bartender tip for a Penicillin?
Two routes: fresh ginger muddled with honey syrup, as in the video; or ginger syrup instead of the slices and honey, with no smoke. Honey syrup (or honey water) is 3 parts honey to 1 part water, mixed at room temperature — straight honey seizes up on ice. Sam Ross's original recipe uses ginger syrup and lemon; lime works fine at home. The classic also gets a float of smoky Islay whisky; without the bottle, smoking with applewood chips gets close. The traditional garnish is candied ginger — a fresh slice on a pick does the job in Brazil.