modern classic · shaken
Penicillin recipe
Sam Ross again. Scotch, honey, lemon, ginger. Shake and strain.
A Penicillin is 60 ml (56.4 g) Blended Scotch, 22 ml (22.7 g) Fresh Lemon Juice, 22 ml (26.4 g) Honey Syrup and 7 ml (8 g) Ginger Syrup, shaken and served in a rocks (old fashioned) glass. It pours to about 111 ml before ice, at roughly 21.6% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glassrocks (old fashioned) glass
- Methodshaken
- Pour volume111 ml
- Strength (est.)21.6% ABV
- Time4 min
Penicillin ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blended Scotch | 60 ml | 56.4 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lemon Juice | 22 ml | 22.7 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Honey Syrup | 22 ml | 26.4 g | 1.20 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Ginger Syrup | 7 ml | 8 g | 1.15 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Penicillin
- Set your rocks (old fashioned) glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Add Blended Scotch, Fresh Lemon Juice, Honey Syrup and Ginger Syrup to a shaker, weighing each ingredient rather than eyeballing a jigger.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for 12–15 seconds.
- Double-strain into a chilled rocks (old fashioned) glass over fresh ice.
Penicillin: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Penicillin?
Roughly 21.6% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Spirit-forward. Sip it, do not sink it.
What glass should a Penicillin be served in?
A rocks (old fashioned) glass. One large, clear cube melts slower than four small ones and keeps the drink from watering out.
Can I make a Penicillin without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
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