The 12 months was 2005 and bartenders had been nostril deep in cocktail books. “I used to be happier to search out an outdated recipe and provides that some shine or adapt it quite than simply snatching one out of skinny air,” says bartender and restauranteur Dan Greenbaum. “We had been in search of hidden jewels.”
Greenbaum’s former enterprise accomplice, Sam Ross, was doing simply that on the subterranean West Village bar Little Department. Whereas he was tinkering with variations on a basic whiskey bitter, the proprietor of Compass Field Whisky got here in with some Scotch and the nutty, caramel-like qualities of the Peat Monster added complexity to Ross’s easy method of honey, lemon, and ginger. And the Penicillin was born.
“The truth that these flavors are healing and acquainted, however you simply add a twist of smokier whisky actually speaks to that second and Sam and the ethos of the time,” Greenbaum says. “Nobody had achieved it on paper, nevertheless it felt prefer it had been a basic for years.”
So when the 2 bartenders (plus Michael McIlroy) opened up the tropical bar Diamond Reef in Mattress-Stuy, Brooklyn, they introduced the Penicillin with them. Utilizing the identical substances, however tweaking the ratio a bit, they made a frozen model to place inside their Frosty Manufacturing unit machines, and got here up with the “cheeky” identify Penichillin. So as to add to the playful spirit, Greenbaum discovered Kikkoman soy sauce bottles and poured a Scotch floater out of them proper earlier than serving.
“The thought behind the bar was to place out drinks very quick in a little bit of a rowdy environment on the patio,” he remembers. “By placing the Penicillin within the frozen machine, it bridged the hole between this critical cocktail bar and a tropical, enjoyable surroundings.”
A business slushie machine isn’t essential to recreate that vibe at house. Simply escape the blender and play together with your ratios, Greenbaum advises. “The rule of thumb with frozen drinks is to up the sweetener somewhat bit since you understand one thing as dryer when it’s ice chilly,” he says. Begin with three-quarters of an oz. of honey-ginger syrup to 2 ounces of Scotch and a scoop of crushed ice, after which style alongside the best way.
Despite the fact that Diamond Reef closed in 2021, the Penichillin remained a top-seller till the very finish. And its predecessor could be discovered on menus around the globe, has grow to be a contemporary basic in its personal proper, and is one thing that cocktail aficionados make a pilgrimage to New York to expertise.
“The drink modified so many individuals’s minds about Scotch,” Greenbaum says. “Even a mediocre Penicillin is extra fascinating than most drinks.”
2 ounces blended Scotch whisky (or black tea, to make it N/A)
¾ ounce honey-ginger syrup (see beneath)
¾ ounce lemon juice
¼ cup ice
Peated Scotch whisky (or lapsang souchong because the float, to make it N/A)
Step 1: In a blender, mix the primary 4 substances and mix till easy.
Step 2: Pour right into a footed Irish whiskey glass.
Step 3: Gently pour the peated whiskey on prime of the drink.
Step 4: Serve with a straw and garnish with a paper parasol.
Honey-Ginger Syrup Recipe
8 ounces honey
1 (6-inch) piece of ginger root, peeled and sliced
8 ounces water
Step 1: Mix the honey with the ginger root and water in a small pot and convey to a boil. Cut back the warmth and simmer for 5 minutes. Refrigerate in a single day, then pressure, discarding the solids.
Dina Ávila is a photographer residing in Portland, Oregon.
Recipe examined by Ivy Manning