Pineapple Penicillin
cocktail
Pineapple Penicillin
A Penicillin reworked for sunlit afternoons: swap the honey‑ginger syrup for honey‑pineapple and blend the drink over crushed ice so the smoky Scotch reads like a salted backdrop to bright, juicy pineapple. The syrup keeps the original’s honey-and-smoke logic while turning the drink into something colder and more forgiving in heat.
For a zero‑proof version, use a nonalcoholic Scotch substitute or 2 oz strong black tea with two drops of liquid smoke; keep the lemon and the honey‑pineapple syrup, and omit the Islay float. Freeze pineapple chunks and serve the frozen blend over one large clear cube so the glass chills without going slushy.
Do Ahead
Syrup can be made up to 5 days ahead and chilled; spirit and citrus should be added and blended to order so the texture stays lively.
Ingredients
- 2 oz blended Scotch
- 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.75 oz honey‑pineapple syrup (1:1 honey with equal parts unsweetened pineapple juice) (Single seasonal twist replacing honey‑ginger syrup)
- 0.25 oz Islay single malt (float)
- 1 heaping cup crushed ice (about 6–8 oz by volume)
- Thin lemon wheel, pinched with a few grains of sea salt (garnish)
What Done Looks Like
The pour should look pale gold with a soft, even slush—no chunky shards riding the top—and a faint sheen from the Islay float. The blender should feel like it’s just catching and spinning freely; if it strains or chatters, there’s too much ice. If it whips to foam, there’s not enough.
Instructions
- 01 Chill a rocks glass in the freezer (or pack with ice while you prepare the drink).
- 02 Combine 2 oz blended Scotch, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, and 0.75 oz honey–pineapple syrup (see note) in a cocktail shaker.
- 03 Add 4–6 large ice cubes (not crushed) to the shaker and shake hard for 12–15 seconds until well chilled and properly diluted; if you prefer a crushed texture, use a blender method consistently (see alternate step).
- 04 If serving over a large clear cube: dump the shaker and fine-strain into the chilled rocks glass over the single large cube.
- 05 If serving as a crushed/slush style (alternate): add 1 heaping cup fine crushed ice to a blender with the combined ingredients and blend on high in 3–5 second pulses, checking texture — stop when the mix is smooth but still pourable and cold (target ~34–36°F / slurry-like). Pour into a rocks glass packed with crushed ice.
- 06 Gently chill the 0.25 oz Islay single malt and float it by pouring slowly over the back of a spoon, using a very steady hand so the peat sits on the surface.
- 07 Express a lemon peel (pinch and squeeze to spray oils) over the drink, then nest the thin lemon wheel on the rim and pinch a few grains of sea salt onto the wheel to release aroma.
If It Goes Sideways
- Texture is soupy, the blend under‑iced—add a small handful of crushed ice and pulse 3 seconds to tighten without over‑diluting.
- Drink tastes harsh and thin, the float sank—re‑cap with a tiny spooned drizzle of Islay and a pinch more sea salt on the lemon to rebalance aroma.
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