Godfather
35 ml Scotch whisky, 35 ml Amaretto, 237 ml Ice
Penicillin
Smoke, honey and ginger - a hot toddy's cool cousin.
Modern Classic
Medium
6 min
Ingredients
- 60 ml Jigger One large side (50 ml) of a standard jigger, plus two teaspoons. Scotch whisky - A blend for the body of the drink
- 20 ml Spoons A tablespoon and a teaspoon. Lemon juice
- 20 ml Spoons A tablespoon and a teaspoon. Honey syrup
- 1 slice Ginger
- 7.5 ml Spoons One and a half teaspoons. Mezcal - Floated on top for the smoke - an Islay whisky does the same job
- 1 piece Crystallised ginger (optional)
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Shake the whisky, lemon, honey and ginger, strain over ice, then float the smoky spirit.
Method
- Muddle a slice of fresh ginger in the bottom of a shaker.
- Add the blended whisky, lemon juice, honey syrup and ice, and shake hard for 12 seconds.
- Double strain over one large cube in a rocks glass.
- Float the mezcal - pour it slowly over the back of a spoon so it sits on top - and add a piece of crystallised ginger.
Serve it
Penicillin
Sam Ross made this at Milk & Honey in New York in 2005 and it became a modern classic almost immediately, which is rare enough that people still talk about it. The float of smoky spirit on top is the clever bit: you smell the smoke before you taste the honey, so the drink introduces itself.
Getting it right
The two-pour trick is what lifts this above a whiskey sour with honey in it, and it is worth being patient with: pour the smoky spirit over the back of a barspoon held just above the surface, and let it spread across the top instead of stirring in. Fresh ginger is much better than ground, and a single thin coin of it is enough - more than that and the drink turns fiery.
Tasting notes
Honeyed and lemony up front, warming ginger in the middle, and a drift of campfire smoke at the end that ties the whole thing together. The most comforting strong drink in the book.
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