New York City bartender Sam Ross’s Penicillin—a mix of Scotch, lemon, honey, and ginger—became one of the few drinks to quickly establish itself within the tiny category of “modern classics.” The Penicillin’s foolproof combination of smoky, spicy, sweet, and sour has sparked a whole category of riffs, including this one. I used the same flavor blueprint and subbed in mezcal, amontillado sherry, lime, and agave. What the drink illustrates well is the strong relationship between sherry and spirits like mezcal or scotch, which tend to have an iodine and salt component that is echoed in both fino and amontillado.

Ingredients

　　½ oz. agave nectar

　　¾ oz. lime juice

　　2 oz. amontillado sherry

　　1 oz. mezcal

　　Garnish: nutmeg, lime wheel

　　Add ginger to a mixing glass with the agave and lime juice and muddle. Add sherry and mezcal, and fill with ice. Shake, and finely strain over a large cube of ice into a rocks glass. Grate nutmeg over the top and garnish with the lime wheel.

　　From Sherry: A Modern Guide to the Wine World's Best-Kept Secret, with Cocktails and Recipes by Talia Baiocchi. Copyright © 2014 by Talia Baiocchi. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House LLC. Photography copyright © 2014 by Ed Anderson.Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop .