The Penicillin: How a Modern Classic Was Born at Milk & Honey
Very few cocktails invented this century have conquered bars all over the world. The Penicillin did it within a decade, and the first time you smell peat smoke drifting over ginger and honey, you understand why.
By Margot Ellery · · Updated · 4 min read
The Penicillin appeared on the old Bar Pleiades menu in its "La Saison" chapter, credited to "Sam Ross, Milk & Honey 2005." Bars printing a living bartender's name beside a recipe was a sign of something new. The cocktail revival was beginning to create its own classics, and the Penicillin was one of the first.
Milk & Honey and Sam Ross
Milk & Honey, opened by Sasha Petraske on the Lower East Side in 1999, was one of the bars that defined the modern craft cocktail movement: a hidden entrance, house rules about conduct, carefully made classics and very good ice. Sam Ross, an Australian bartender who worked there, created the Penicillin in 2005. It is often described as a riff on a Gold Rush, a bourbon drink with lemon and honey that was itself a Milk & Honey creation.
Why it works
The Penicillin has two layers. The body of the drink is a sour made with blended Scotch whisky, lemon juice and a honey and ginger syrup. On top, a small float of peaty Islay single malt adds a smoky aroma. The first impression on the nose is smoke; the first impression on the palate is warm ginger, honey and bright lemon. The two layers keep shifting as you drink.
The name is a joke about medicine: honey, lemon and ginger are what you might take for a cold, and the drink tastes restorative.
Making honey-ginger syrup
This is the one piece of preparation the drink needs.
- Peel and roughly chop about 100 g of fresh ginger.
- Blend or juice it, then press through a fine sieve. You want about 50 ml of ginger juice.
- Gently warm 150 g of honey with 75 ml of water until it is runny and combined.
- Stir in the ginger juice. Refrigerate and use within a week.
Adjust the ginger to taste. Fresh ginger varies a lot in heat. The syrup should be clearly spicy.
Choosing the whiskies
- Base: a good blended Scotch. It should be smooth and malty, not smoky. The original recipe used a mainstream blend.
- Float: a peaty Islay single malt. Laphroaig and others are commonly used. Just a bar spoon or two is enough, around 7.5 ml.
Technique
Shake the blended Scotch, lemon and syrup hard with ice and strain over a large cube in a rocks glass. Then pour the Islay gently over the back of a bar spoon so it sits on top. Do not stir. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger on a pick.
From Gold Rush to Penicillin
The Penicillin has a clear family tree. Its parent is the Gold Rush, a bourbon, lemon and honey sour created at Milk & Honey in the early 2000s and credited to T.J. Siegal. Sam Ross, who had moved to New York from Melbourne, was experimenting with a new range of blended Scotch whiskies from the independent blender Compass Box. He made a Gold Rush with a soft blended Scotch, split the sweetening between honey syrup and sweetened ginger juice, and floated a smoky blended malt on top. He liked it, but did not think much more of it at first.
The drink spread first through the small circle of bars connected to Sasha Petraske, then to Los Angeles, London, Sydney and beyond. Milk & Honey's original Lower East Side room later became Attaboy, run by Ross and Michael McIlroy, where the Penicillin is still poured.
The name
Ross has said the name refers to the idea of a cure-all, like chicken soup when you are ill. Honey, lemon and ginger are the classic home remedy for a cold, and the drink tastes warming and soothing. It is not medicine, of course, but it is a very comforting drink on a cold night.
Common mistakes
- Using a smoky whisky as the base. The base should be smooth. All the smoke comes from the float.
- Stirring the float in. Pour it gently on top and leave it. The aroma is the point.
- Weak ginger. Bottled ginger syrup often lacks heat. Fresh ginger juice is far better.
- Crystallized honey. Thin the honey with warm water first, or it will not mix.
- Serving with a straw. A straw bypasses the smoky top. Sip from the rim.
Riffs bartenders love
| Riff | Change |
|---|---|
| Mezcal Penicillin | Mezcal float or base for earthy smoke. |
| Hot Penicillin | Top with hot water and serve as a toddy. |
| Penicillin highball | Lengthen with ginger beer or soda over ice. |
| Rum Penicillin | Aged rum base with a funky Jamaican rum float. |
Making ginger juice at home
Fresh ginger juice is the single most important ingredient in a great Penicillin. Choose plump, firm ginger with shiny skin; there is no need to peel young ginger. Chop it roughly and run it through a juicer, or grate it finely and squeeze the pulp through a cloth. Mix the juice with an equal weight of sugar until dissolved to make a ginger syrup. It will be fiery at first and mellow after a day in the fridge. Use it within two weeks.
Variations
- Mezcal Penicillin: use mezcal instead of the Islay float for a different kind of smoke.
- Bourbon version: essentially a Gold Rush with ginger, sweeter and rounder.
- Batched: the sour base keeps for a few hours in the fridge if you are hosting; add the float to each glass.
The Penicillin shows that a modern classic follows the same rules as an old one: a simple structure, a clever twist and a clear identity. If you like it, try the New York Sour, another sour with a layered top, or read about spices in cocktails to explore ginger further.
Sources and further reading
Questions and answers
Who invented the Penicillin cocktail?
Sam Ross created it at Milk & Honey in New York in 2005.
Why is it called the Penicillin?
Because honey, lemon and ginger are traditional cold remedies, the name is a joke about the drink being medicinal.
