Penicillin
Blended Scotch, lemon and honey-ginger syrup, with a float of smoky Islay whisky on top.
- Time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Strength
- 2.4 UK units
How to make a Penicillin
- Make the honey-ginger syrup. Warm 100 ml honey with 100 ml water and 20 g sliced fresh ginger in a pan over a low heat for 5 minutes, until the honey has melted. Do not let it boil hard. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes, then strain. It keeps for about two weeks in the fridge.
- Shake the base. Add the blended Scotch, lemon juice and 20 ml of syrup to a shaker. Fill it with ice and shake for 12 seconds, until the tin is frosted.
- Strain over a large cube. Double strain over one large ice cube in a rocks glass. The drink should be golden and slightly cloudy.
- Float the Islay. Pour the Islay single malt slowly over the back of a bar spoon so it settles in a thin layer on top. Add the candied ginger.
- Glass
- Rocks glassNo rocks glass? Any short tumbler.
- Ice
- One large cube
- Garnish
- Candied ginger on a pickOr: A lemon twist.
What you need to make a Penicillin
Kit
SaucepanBig enough to hold the whole batch.
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Fine strainerA small tea strainer catches ice shards.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Bottles we'd use
- A smooth blended ScotchMonkey Shoulder or Johnnie Walker Black Label are both good. Avoid anything heavily peated for the base.Find it on Amazon
- An Islay single maltLaphroaig 10 is the usual choice. Caol Ila 12 is a touch gentler.Find it on Amazon
- Runny honeyA mild flower honey. Strong heather honey can take over.Find it on Amazon
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The Penicillin story
Sam Ross created it in 2005 at Milk & Honey in New York. It is one of the best-known modern classics, and it is built on the old Scotch sour format, with honey and ginger for the warm, medicinal feel the name suggests.
The trick is the float. A small pour of Islay single malt sits on top, so the first thing you smell is peat smoke, and then the drink underneath is sharp, ginger-hot and honeyed. Make the syrup stronger if you like more ginger heat.
Penicillin: your questions answered
What is in a Penicillin?
A Penicillin is made with 50 ml Blended Scotch whisky, 25 ml fresh lemon juice, 20 ml honey-ginger syrup and 10 ml Islay single malt. Garnish: candied ginger on a pick.
Is a Penicillin shaken or stirred?
A Penicillin is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Penicillin?
Made to this recipe, a Penicillin contains about 2.4 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Penicillin in?
Serve a Penicillin in a rocks glass over ice. No rocks glass? Any short tumbler.
