Penicillin Cocktail Recipe

Toast the shredded coconut: place coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently until golden brown and fragrant, 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a minute.

Combine honey and water in a small saucepan. Add the toasted coconut and the optional sliced ginger if using.

Warm the mixture over low heat just until the honey dissolves and the liquid is gently steaming, 3–5 minutes. Do not boil — you want infusion, not reduction.

Remove from heat and let steep, covered, for 20–30 minutes to extract coconut and ginger flavor.

Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean container, pressing on the coconut to extract as much flavored syrup as possible. Discard solids.

Cool to room temperature. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate; syrup will keep 2–3 weeks. Measure required amount for the cocktails (0.75 oz per cocktail).

Prepare ginger juice (if using fresh)

If using fresh grated ginger instead of pre-pressed juice, grate about 1 inch of fresh ginger and press through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to yield approximately 0.5 tsp of juice per cocktail.

Add bourbon (2 oz), fresh lemon juice (0.75 oz), toasted coconut honey syrup (0.75 oz) and fresh ginger juice (0.5 tsp) into a cocktail shaker.

Fill the shaker with ice (enough to nearly fill), secure the lid, and shake vigorously for 12–18 seconds until the shaker is very cold and slightly frosted.

Double-strain the cocktail into a rocks glass over a large ice cube (or over fresh cubed ice if preferred) to remove any small bits of ginger or ice shards.

Float 0.5 oz Oloroso sherry on top: pour the sherry slowly over the back of a spoon held just above the cocktail's surface so it forms a thin layer on top.

Garnish with a lemon twist or dehydrated lemon wheel. Serve immediately.