Name: Penicillin
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 4 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 60ml blended scotch; 22.5ml fresh lemon juice; 22.5ml honey-ginger syrup (honey simple, infused with fresh ginger); 7.5ml peated Islay scotch (Laphroaig or Ardbeg) for the float; Candied ginger to garnish

Method

Combine blended scotch, lemon, and honey-ginger syrup in a shaker over ice.

Shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds.

Strain over a single large ice cube in a chilled rocks glass.

Float the peated scotch on top, pouring slowly over the back of a bar spoon.

Slip a piece of candied ginger between the ice and the rim.

How it tastes

The first sip is honey-ginger and lemon, sour and slightly hot. The peat hits in the nose before you've taken a second sip and stays there. By the third sip, the smoke has integrated and you're drinking something complex enough to slow down for. This is one of those drinks where the small finishing detail (the smoky float) does almost half the work.

Why we built it

The Penicillin was created in 2005 at Milk & Honey in New York by Sam Ross. It's one of the few cocktails invented this century that has earned the "modern classic" title fairly. We pour it most often when someone says they want "something warming" or "something for a cold I'm fighting." Whether or not it actually helps with a cold is a separate question. The honey-ginger and the smoke do feel medicinal in a comforting way.

Where to drink it

On request at Dissolved Solids in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya. We always have the honey-ginger syrup ready. Reserve a table if you'd like one ready when you arrive.