Smoked Penicillin & Agave Bee's Knees: Classic Cocktails (with a Twist!)
HOLLOW LEG’s Lizzie Vanderhoof has been behind the bar for 20+ years, so she knows classic cocktails like the back of her hand and executes them like a pro. But the best part about mixology is the ability to play and put a twist on the familiar, which is exactly what Lizzie did for her takes on the Penicillin and the Bee’s Knees.
Tuck into her creations, which also play with washing cocktails in two different ways: with a smoke wash and a liquor rinse.
What the Doctor Ordered
Lizzie’s twist on a Penicillin is a gorgeous one: using smoked cinnamon to smoke wash the cocktail and add both aromatics and flavour.
STEP 1: PREP YOUR CINNAMON SMOKE
Construct the Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 oz blended Scotch (we love Great King Street’s Artist’s Blend)
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
3/8 oz ginger syrup
3/8 oz honey syrup (Lizzie makes this strong, with a 2:1, honey: water ratio)
Combine ingredients and then use a funnel to quickly pour the concoction into the cinnamon-smoked bottle (see video above for directions on how to do this).
Swirl cocktail around bottle and then pour into a glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick and lemon peel.
Cures What Ails Ya
The Bee’s Knees is a classic Prohibition cocktail, but Lizzie decided to sub the gin for tequila, and add a Mezcal rinse to the glass to make create a je ne sais quoi that will keep you sipping for more. Rinsing a glass in liquor creates a more complex nose to the cocktail and is really easy to do!
Ingredients:
2 oz Tequila Blanco (we love FINO Tequila)
1 oz honey syrup
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes angostura bitters
Lemon Peel (for garnish)
Diaz Brothers Agave Mezcal (as a rinse)
Chill a coupe glass in the freezer.
Pour a 1/4 oz (or a scant less) of Diaz Brothers Agave Mezcal, into the chilled coupe and roll it around, allowing it to cling to the frost on the glass. Pour out the excess. Set it aside.
Combine the other ingredients into a shaker and shake vigorously with ice. Strain into the rinsed glass. Enjoy!
