CocKtail Focus
PENICILLIN RECIPE Ingredients: 2 ounces blended scotch 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice 3/4 ounce ginger-honey syrup 1/4 ounce Islay scotch Steps: * Combine blended scotch, lemon juice and syrup in a shaker, fill with ice and shake well. ** Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and float Islay scotch on top. *** For ginger-honey syrup combine 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk until well combined. Add an ounce or so of peeled, sliced fresh ginger and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely; strain.
Photo by Luke Lovell
W
alk into Cole’s on 6th Street downtown, but don’t stop there. Walk straight through the vintage throwback diner, push open that dark wooden door with a picture of a coupe glass on it, and there one will find The Varnish, a speakeasy bar run by mixologist Eric Alperin, Mr. Downtown aka
Cedd Moses, and one of NYC’s most revered mixologists and bar owners, Sasha Petraske. One of two situations will transpire. Either it’s a weekend night and the bar is packed, which means a hostess will take down your name and ask you to wait inside Cole’s. Don’t fret, grab a cocktail over there
and just wait until a booth or bistro table opens up. Trust me, Varnish’s cocktails are worth it. If you hit Varnish on a weeknight, chances are you will forgo the wait, saddle up into one of those wooden booths as a waitress comes over to present you with a short menu of classic cocktails. If you’re feeling indecisive after perusing the cocktail menu, just go with the Bartener’s Choice. Name a spirit and a flavor profile, the mixologist on hand will create a cocktail to suit your fancy. All bars helmed by Sasha Petraske, most of which reside in NYC though he has consulted with restaurants around LA such as Comme Ca, serve the same slew of classic cocktails. All beverages are concocted from quality spirits, fresh juices, served in glasses with metal straws when applicable.
One such beverage, perfect for this colder weather, falls to the Penicillin, a libation crafted by NYC barman Sammy (yes, just “Sammy”) at Milk & Honey, an invite-only bar in the Lower East Side. As the story goes, Sammy had a cold, but still felt like drinking. He needed a cocktail that could potentially offer him some health benefits to fight off the cold, so he created the Penicillin, a Scotch-based creation that calls for lemon, honey fresh ginger (actually a house-made ginger syrup). Makes sense, right? This drink became so popular it’s now a staple offered at all Sasha Petraske haunts. So next time you begin to feel run down, just ask the bartender for a Penicillin. Story by Kat Odell. Location: 118 E 6th St, Downtown LA
LACANVAS.COM 47