Penicillin
A smoky and spicy whiskey cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 17.4% ABV ∙
The Penicillin is an IBA New Era cocktail of blended Scotch, lemon, honey syrup and muddled ginger, shaken and topped with a float of peated single malt.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Muddle Fresh ginger root 3 slices in a shaker and add ingredients: Blended Scotch whisky 60 mlLemon juice 22 mlHoney syrup 22 ml
- Shake
- Fine strain into the chilled old fashioned glass with ice
- Float Peated single malt whisky 7 ml on top
- Garnish with candied ginger
Tips
- Muddle the three ginger slices lightly, just enough to get the juice going; pound them to a pulp and stringy fibers end up in the drink.
History
The Penicillin was created in 2005 by Australian bartender Sam Ross at Milk & Honey on Manhattan's Lower East Side, just a year after he emigrated from Melbourne. Ross developed it as a riff on the Gold Rush, one of the bar's popular whiskey sours made with bourbon, lemon juice, and honey syrup. Working with a new shipment of Compass Box whiskies, he swapped in a blended Scotch, paired the honey with fresh ginger, and finished the drink with a float of the smoky, peated blended malt Peat Monster. Our recipe uses a smoky single malt in its place. He named it Penicillin as a tongue-in-cheek nod to its cold-remedy ingredients, borrowing the name of the antibiotic discovered by Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming.
The drink spread from Milk & Honey to bars across Los Angeles and beyond after Ross began consulting there in 2007, and by the following decade it had become so widely copied that some younger bartenders assumed it was a much older classic. Ross's Scotch formula has since been widely adapted by other bartenders into tequila and mezcal versions, among others, but the original remains the reference point.
FAQ
What is in a Penicillin cocktail?
Blended Scotch whisky (60 ml), fresh lemon juice (22 ml), honey syrup (22 ml) and three slices of muddled fresh ginger. A 7 ml float of peated single malt goes on top.
Is a Penicillin shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The ginger, lemon juice, and honey syrup need the aeration and quick chill of a shake, then the drink is fine-strained over ice so no ginger fiber reaches the glass.
Why is it called a Penicillin cocktail?
It is named after the antibiotic, a tongue-in-cheek nod to its honey, lemon and ginger, all long used in home remedies for colds. The drink has no medicinal or antibacterial effect.
What is the difference between a Gold Rush and a Penicillin?
A Gold Rush is just bourbon, lemon juice and honey syrup. The Penicillin swaps the bourbon for blended Scotch, adds muddled ginger, and floats a peated single malt on top for a smoky finish the Gold Rush does not have.
Can I make a Penicillin without honey?
You can, but it will not taste like a Penicillin. Honey syrup gives the drink its body and sweetness; without it the lemon makes it thin and sharp. Another neutral sweetener works in a pinch, but you lose the pairing of honey with the peated single malt on top.
