Penicillin

Name: Penicillin
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 cocktail
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 2 oz Blended Scotch; 0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice; 0.5 oz Honey Syrup; 0.25 oz Ginger Syrup; 0.25 oz Islay Scotch, to float; Candied ginger (garnish, optional)

ClassicIBA Official

Scotch, honey, ginger, and a smoky float.

NightcapSpirit-ForwardWinterClassicSmoky

5 minMediumBalanced

Warm and soothing. Honey and fresh ginger heat wrap around malty Scotch and bright lemon, while the Islay float sends up a curl of campfire smoke on every sip.

Ingredients

2 oz Blended Scotch
0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
0.5 oz Honey Syrup
0.25 oz Ginger Syrup
0.25 oz Islay Scotch, to float
Candied ginger · optional garnish

Method

1
Add the blended Scotch, lemon juice, honey syrup, and ginger syrup to a shaker with ice.
2
Shake hard until well-chilled.
3
Strain over one large cube in a rocks glass.
4
Float the Islay Scotch over the top and garnish with candied ginger.

The Story

A modern classic invented around 2005 by Sam Ross at Milk & Honey in New York. It layers a honey-ginger Scotch sour under a smoky float of peated Islay whisky — the medicinal "prescription" that gives the drink its name. Few new cocktails have spread as fast or as far.

Glass · Rocks glassGarnish · Candied ginger

Recipe card

The whole recipe in one shareable image.