Name: Fleming Fizz (Sparkling Wine Cocktail With Scotch, Honey, and Ginger)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Yield: Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients: ½ cup roughly chopped peeled ginger (70 g / 2½ oz.); ½ cup honey; 1½ oz. blended Scotch; ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice; ¾ oz. Ginger-Honey Syrup; 2 oz. chilled sparkling wine; ½ tsp. smoky Scotch, such as Laphroaig; Lemon twist and candied ginger on a pick

Photo of three glasses of Fleming Fizz with lemon peel garnishes and a bottle of champagne.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

This winter cocktail is a cross between a Penicillin and a French 75. I’ve always thought that the Penicillin, with its ginger and honey, was the perfect whiskey sour for winter—and that many sparkling cocktails felt too light and springy for the colder months. I dubbed this tribute the Fleming Fizz in honor of Sir Alexander Fleming, the Scottish scientist who discovered penicillin antibiotics.

When made at Russell House Tavern in Boston and featured in my book, Boston Cocktails: Drunk and Told, I used two separate syrups that were already behind the bar, but here, the recipe is adapted for easier mixing at home.

This is a bold, spicy cocktail for Scotch lovers—if you prefer your ginger a little less pungent, add ¼ cup additional water and ¼ cup additional honey to the syrup. Extra syrup is excellent for sweetening tea, a hot toddy, or cocoa.

Recipe information

Total Time
10 minutes
Yield
Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

Ginger Honey Syrup

½ cup roughly chopped peeled ginger (70 g / 2½ oz.)

½ cup honey

Cocktail

1½ oz. blended Scotch

¾ oz. fresh lemon juice

¾ oz. Ginger-Honey Syrup

2 oz. chilled sparkling wine

To Serve

½ tsp. smoky Scotch, such as Laphroaig

Lemon twist and candied ginger on a pick

Preparation

Ginger Honey Syrup
Step 1
Combine ginger and ½ cup water in a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract juice. Pour ½ cup of the ginger juice into a large resealable jar and stir in honey. (If you’d like to tone down the ginger a bit, add additional ¼ cup honey and ¼ cup water.) Seal jar tightly and shake until honey is completely dissolved (or rinse out blender and blend ginger juice and honey together to mix.) Makes enough for 10 cocktails. Syrup will keep 2 weeks in the refrigerator; shake well before using.
Cocktail
Step 2
Combine blended Scotch, lemon juice, and Ginger-Honey Syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until well chilled. Add sparkling wine to a flute glass, then strain cocktail into glass. Gently float smoky Scotch on top of drink. Garnish with lemon twist and candied ginger.