Penicillin Cocktail Recipe

The first time I tasted a penicillin was unforgettable. In fact, you could probably pin the blame for my home cocktailing zeal on this moment. There was a nose full of scotch smoke up front, a bit of numbness on the lips at first sip, and then a fiery kick of ginger on the tongue. This was followed by a surprisingly smooth finish, balanced between honey, lemon, and a mellower scotch. This drink falls into that elusive complex but drinkable category, and the strong flavors and soothing qualities make it a perfect nightcap. Obviously, I can’t afford to order these at Milk & Honey or Dram that often, so I had to try creating it at home.

Replicating a spot-on penicillin cocktail recipe involved a bit of trial and error. Aside from the usual experimenting with proportions, my first penicillins seemed to lack spice. I soon realized that I had to make the ginger syrup fresh every time. I had seen recipes saying you can make the syrup ahead of time and store it, but for whatever reason the spiciness would dissipate so fast that I had to use the syrup right away to get the flavor right. Getting enough juice out of the ginger root became much easier once I bought a sturdy stainless steel muddler. It cost about $8 and was a worthwhile investment. Another issue my with my first attempts was a lack of smokiness. The recipe calls for two kinds of scotch and I’d tried making it without Laphroaig, since you only need 1/4 oz per drink and a bottle is $50. Without the smokey nose this cocktail falls flat, so I finally broke down and bought a bottle since I like the taste anyway. Even now that I have penicillin-making down to a science, I wouldn’t bust this drink out at a party. Save this one for special moments with a select few. So, the recipe:

2 oz blended scotch. Famous Grouse works well.
1 oz ginger honey syrup
1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice. No bottled lemon juice!
1/4 oz Laphroaig

To make the ginger honey syrup, combine 1/2 oz water and 1/2 oz honey in a short, heavy-bottomed glass and stir until dissolved. If you don’t have honey you can use sugar instead. Peel about a thumb-sized portion of ginger root and cut up into 5 or 6 chunks and add to the glass. Using a muddler, press and swivel the ginger pieces to release the juice. Strain into a shot glass, and add to the cocktail shaker.

Shake the blended scotch, ginger honey syrup, and lemon with ice. Pour into an old fashioned glass over a large ice cube. You can buy large ice cube trays at Crate and Barrel. Next, float the Laphroaig on top. To do this, pour about 1/4 oz into a shot glass and balance the back of a bar spoon on the edge of the glass. Angle the spoon down against the side of the glass and slowly pour the Laphroaig over it so it’s evenly distributed on the top. Serve as is, or for extra fancy points, with a piece of candied ginger speared on a swivel.