Three Ways: Penicillin
Potentially the most riffed-upon cocktail of the modern canon, the Penicillin was created by Australian bartender Sam Ross in 2005 while behind the bar at New York’s Milk & Honey. The boldly flavored build of blended Scotch whisky, ginger, honey, lemon, and a float of peaty scotch was itself a riff on another Milk & Honey cocktail, the Gold Rush (basically a Whiskey Sour with honey). Nearly two decades after its creation, the Penicillin continues to pop up on cocktail menus and remains a playground for experimentation. Here are three of our current favorites.
Pajazo Mental
1 oz. mezcal (Syed uses Pelotón de la Muerte Espadin)
1 oz. rye whiskey
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz. honey-ginger syrup
1/4 oz. nocino (such as Nux Alpina)
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: rocks
Mix a honey-ginger syrup, combining equal parts of honey syrup (1:1) and ginger syrup (1:1). In a shaker with ice, add the ingredients, except the nocino. Shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice, and float the nocino on top.
Eric Syed, Parche, Oakland, California
Golden Tooth
1 oz. bourbon
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz. coconut-honey syrup
1/2 oz. oloroso sherry
1/4 oz. ginger syrup (1:1)
2 dashes orange bitters
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: double rocks
Garnish: peaty scotch spritz, lemon wheel
In a shaker filled with ice, add all the ingredients. Shake and strain into a double rocks glass filled with a large ice cube. Mist with 5 sprays of a peaty scotch (such as Laphroaig) and
garnish with a lemon wheel.
Coconut-Honey SyrupToast 50 grams of unsweetened coconut chips in the oven at 355 degrees F for 5-10 minutes, until golden. Combine the coconut with 200 ml of honey and 160 ml of water in a sous-vide bag and circulate at 158 degrees F for an hour and a half. (Alternatively, gently simmer the ingredients on the stovetop for 1 hour.) Cool the mixture and fine strain; keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.
Niko Novick, Superfrico, Las Vegas
Antidote
1 oz. Calvados
3/4 oz. honey-ginger syrup
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
2 dashes cinnamon bitters
1 1/2 oz. farmhouse-style cider
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: rocks
Garnish: peated whisky spritz, freshly grated nutmeg
Honey-Ginger SyrupIn a blender, combine 100 grams of honey with 50 grams of hot water and 10 grams of chopped fresh ginger. Blend well, then strain and bottle for use within 2 weeks.
Add the ingredients, except the cider, to an ice-filled shaker. Shake, then add the cider to the shaker, and strain the drink into a chilled rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a spritz of peated whisky and freshly grated nutmeg.
Chris Jeffreys, REIGN, Toronto
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