Contemporary Penicillin cocktail in modern glassware with innovative presentation

Cocktail

Penicillin

The Penicillin is a vibrant cocktail that artfully blends smoky Scotch whisky with fresh lemon juice and honey-ginger syrup, creating a harmonious balance of flavors. Served over ice and often garnished with a lemon twist, this drink offers a warming, soothing experience reminiscent of a comforting remedy. Its unique combination makes it a favorite among whisky lovers and cocktail enthusiasts alike.

  • smoky
  • honeyed
  • citrusy
  • spicy
James
By JamesSpirits & Whiskey ExpertPublished Reviewed
Prep Time
7 min
Glass
Old-fashioned glass
Difficulty
Advanced
ABV
22%
Yields
1 serving
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Few cocktail recipes deliver smoky and honeyed quite like the Penicillin. It leads with scotch and comes together in about 7 minutes. If you've searched for "whiskey", this is the recipe to bookmark.

Key Takeaways

What you’ll learn

  • The Penicillin combines blended scotch, fresh lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup, and an Islay scotch float — four distinct flavour elements in perfect balance.
  • Created by Sam Ross at Milk & Honey, New York in 2005, it is widely recognised as the most important modern classic cocktail of the 21st century.
  • Homemade honey-ginger syrup is essential for authentic spicy-sweet balance; no commercial substitute captures the same freshness.
  • The Islay scotch float is not decorative — it creates the intense smoky aroma that hits your nose with every sip, defining the cocktail's experience.

Ingredients

Serves
1 serving
Glass
Old-fashioned glass
Prep
7 min
  • 2 ozBlended Scotch
  • 3/4 ozLemon Juice
  • 2 tspHoney syrup
  • 2 tspGinger Syrup
  • 1/4 ozIslay single malt Scotch

Method

Preparation

  1. 01

    Shake blended Scotch, lemon juice, honey syrup and ginger syrup with ice. Strain over large ice in chilled rocks glass. Float smoky Scotch on top (be sure to use a smoky Scotch such as an Islay single malt). Garnish with candied ginger.

Origin

History & Origins

In 2005, bartender Sam Ross was working at Milk & Honey, the influential speakeasy-style bar founded by Sasha Petraske on New York's Lower East Side. Milk & Honey had established itself as the epicentre of the modern cocktail renaissance, emphasising craft techniques, quality ingredients, and classical recipes executed with precision. Ross wanted to create something that honoured scotch's complexity while making it accessible to a broader audience.

Drawing inspiration from the Gold Rush (bourbon, honey, lemon) and the whisky sour template, Ross crafted a new formula: blended scotch as the approachable base, honey-ginger syrup for warming sweetness and spice, fresh lemon juice for brightness, and — his key innovation — a float of intensely smoky Islay single malt that would deliver a dramatic aromatic experience without overwhelming the palate.

The name "Penicillin" was brilliantly apt: the combination of honey, ginger, and lemon evoked a medicinal quality, while the smoky scotch added sophisticated depth that suggested something genuinely restorative. The cocktail became an instant hit at Milk & Honey and spread to bars worldwide within years. By 2010, it was appearing on menus from London to Tokyo; by 2015, it had become a benchmark of contemporary mixology. Today the Penicillin is considered one of the most important cocktail innovations since Prohibition, regularly cited alongside classics like the Negroni and Old Fashioned as a drink that changed how the world thinks about whisky in cocktails.

Bartender’s Insight

Pro Tips

Make honey-ginger syrup from scratch: simmer 1 cup honey, 1 cup water, and a 6-inch piece of fresh sliced ginger for 15–20 minutes. Strain, cool, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

From James

  • Shake hard for a full 15 seconds — honey-ginger syrup is thick and needs aggressive agitation to integrate and chill properly.

  • Always double-strain through both a Hawthorne and a fine-mesh strainer to remove ice chips and ginger particles for a smooth, refined texture.

  • Float the Islay scotch over the back of a bar spoon — pour very slowly so it spreads across the surface without mixing. Do not stir after floating.

  • Serve the garnish skewered candied ginger on a pick; it provides a sweet-spicy bite between sips that complements the drink beautifully.

At the Table

Perfect Pairings

Smoked salmon or gravlax with dill
Aged scotch cheddar or Isle of Mull cheese
Dark chocolate with salted caramel
Smoked meats or barbecued brisket
Honeycomb with aged cheeses

Beyond the Classic

Variations

Oaxacan Penicillin

Replace the scotch base with 2 oz mezcal espadín and float 0.25 oz smokier mezcal on top. The agave smokiness creates an entirely different but equally compelling four-flavour balance.

Kentucky Penicillin

Substitute bourbon for blended scotch and float a high-rye bourbon or rye whiskey. The sweeter, fuller American whiskey profile creates a more approachable variation with distinctly American character.

Winter Penicillin

Increase ginger in the syrup by steeping for 30 minutes (instead of 15) for maximum heat, and add a dash of Angostura bitters to the shaker. A particularly warming cold-weather variation.

Penicillin No. 2

Add the Islay scotch to the shaker instead of floating, then float 0.25 oz green Chartreuse on top. The herbal liqueur's botanical complexity creates a different aromatic experience that has developed its own following.

Questions

Frequently Asked

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