Sometimes you just want the taste of breakfast in your cocktail: cinnamon, vanilla, OJ, a squeeze of lemon, and the smoky essence of the griddle. I got to thinking about the amazing oatmeal I ate for breakfast on Islay — giant bowls of creamy cinnamon goodness that the innkeeper offered to fortify with a tot of whisky — and decided to deconstruct it into a cocktail. I took the island’s smoky whisky (Laphroaig) and combined it with spicy rye, citrus, cinnamon and vanilla. (If you wanted it a bit frothy, you could shake in an egg white.) It’s pretty delicious, but I wouldn’t necessarily drink it before noon!
Penicillin (the cocktail) had a rendezvous with orange liqueur and the spice rack and created Cinnamon Smoke.
Cinnamon Smoke
- 1.25 oz Sonoma County Rye
- 0.25 oz Laphroaig 15
- 0.5 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 oz cinnamon-vanilla simple syrup*
- Garnish: cinnamon stick
Method: Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
*Cinnamon-Vanilla Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 vanilla bean
Method: Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved. Add cinnamon and vanilla bean and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Let cool. Remove cinnamon stick and vanilla bean and store the syrup in the fridge.
Drink - Play - Love 