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Cocktail History
The Pot of Gold is a St. Patrick’s Day cocktail that was first published by Liquor.com. The recipe is a play on the Whiskey Sour template that is similar to the Penicillin in flavor profile. What sets it apart, however, is its inclusion of Irish whiskey and egg white that is shaken with honey and ginger syrup, lemon, and Islay Scotch, served up, and topped with gold flakes as a nod to the treasure found at the end of a rainbow in Irish tales.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Irish Whiskey: This is a type of whiskey made in Ireland made with unmalted or malted barley, cereal grains, spices, and water. We used Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey because it has a rich, warming taste. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the Irish whiskey.
Honey Syrup: This is a sweetener made with honey and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s simple recipe.
Ginger Syrup: This is a sweetener made with ginger, white sugar, gum Arabic powder, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Egg White: This is the clear liquid in an egg. We used fresh egg whites because they add a rich, silky smooth texture.
Islay Scotch: This is a type of of Scotch whisky made in southern Scotland with with spices, alcohol, water, and malt or grain that has been dried with peat fires. We used Ardbeg 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky because it has a strong peaty flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Escape Mocktails Green Label Single Malt Whiskey Non-Alcoholic Alternative in place of the whisky.
Gold Flakes: This is gold that has been hammered into small, thin sheets.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tweezers: This is used to place the garnish on the drink. We used one from the Stainless Steel Food Tweezers Set.
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Tasting Notes
The Pot of Gold features aromas of strong, smoky Scotch, has a sweet taste comprised of honey and spiced ginger with sour lemon for balance, and finishes with malted whiskey for some backbone in the aftertaste.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Apart from the gold flakes, which we ultimately felt we could do without, we both had pretty different experiences with this drink! Alex enjoyed it for what it was but felt that the Irish whiskey made it a bit too smooth for his preference, while Kendall loved it much more than the original Penicillin for the exact same reason.
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“If you want to enjoy a Penicillin but your palate hasn’t developed enough to handle the prominent Scotch flavor yet, this variation made with similar ingredients is your answer. I absolutely loved this cocktail; it’s bright and has a delicious ginger spice that’s rounded out with whiskey notes. That said, I can’t imagine this one being made in an actual bar with the edible gold garnish unless they have connections to the underground gold trade that we don’t. It was fun but expensive and a bit of a bother to arrange on top of the foam. It would be just as tasty without it.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Liquor.com, an online beverage publication.
Pot of Gold
The Pot of Gold is a St. Patrick’s Day cocktail that was first published by Liquor.com. The recipe is a play on the Whiskey Sour template that is similar to the Penicillin in flavor profile. What sets it apart, however, is its inclusion of Irish whiskey and egg white that is shaken with honey and ginger syrup, lemon, and Islay Scotch, served up, and topped with gold flakes as a nod to the treasure found at the end of a rainbow in Irish tales.
Ingredients
Method
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Add Irish whiskey, ginger honey syrup, lemon juice, egg white, Scotch, and cubed ice to a shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Remove ice from shaker.
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Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
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Strain into cocktail glass.
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Garnish with edible gold flakes.
