Penicillin — 2000s London cocktail proved you could reinvent Scotch

A 2000s London cocktail proved you could reinvent Scotch whisky for the modern era.

Ingredients

• 2 oz blended Scotch
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz honey syrup, which is honey and water mixed two-to-one
• ¼ oz peated Islay Scotch
• Garnish: a quarter-inch slice of fresh ginger root for muddling

Method

Start by making your honey syrup if you don’t have it — two parts honey to one part hot water, stirred until dissolved. In your shaker, muddle that ginger slice gently — you want to bruise it, not pulverize it. Add the blended Scotch, lemon juice, and honey syrup. Fill with ice and shake hard for fifteen seconds. The ginger needs that aggressive shake to release its oils. Double strain through a fine mesh strainer into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice — you don’t want ginger bits in the final drink. Now for the signature move: float that peated Scotch on top by pouring it slowly over the back of a bar spoon. Don’t stir it in — the contrast between the smooth base and that smoky top layer is the whole point.

Serve

Serve this over ice in a rocks glass with a candied ginger piece as garnish. If you can’t find candied ginger, a lemon wheel works fine.

Pro Tip

The honey syrup is crucial — regular simple syrup won’t give you the same rich mouthfeel. Make a batch and keep it in your fridge for up to two weeks. Some bartenders add a pinch of salt to their honey syrup, which amplifies both the sweetness and the ginger’s bite.