Food

Mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Panacea Cocktail Recipe

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Jul 30, 2022 • 1 min read

The Panacea is a drink that is adaptable to multiple seasons and is friendly with a multitude of spirits. Mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardan’s version is a nod to England’s next-door neighbor: Scotland. This Panacea cocktail is a take on a Whiskey Sour, and Ryan makes it with a shrub, or drinking vinegar.

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What Is a Panacea Cocktail?

Panacea is a Greek word for "cure-all." Like a hot toddy, it's a common cough and cold remedy that typically includes whiskey, honey, and lemon or lime juice.

What Is a Shrub?

A shrub is a drinking vinegar—a sour-sweet syrup you can add to highball cocktails or mix with club soda for an easy and refreshing nonalcoholic drink.

How to Make a Shrub for Cocktails

Make a shrub by soaking fruit and herbs in vinegar, reducing the liquid, and then sweetening the resulting syrup with honey or sugar. By experimenting with different herbs in the vinegar infusion, you’ll have an opportunity to showcase everything from unconventional flavor pairings to complementary seasonal ingredients. When developing your own combinations, keep in mind that dried herbs work best for a vinegar shrub.

Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Panacea Cocktail Recipe

Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Panacea Cocktail Recipe

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makes

1 cocktail

prep time

10 min

total time

25 min

cook time

15 min

Ingredients

For the shrub:

For the cocktail:

  1. 1

    Make the shrub: Add the dried herbs and apple cider vinegar to an airtight container and leave in a cool, dark place overnight to infuse. The next day, empty the liquid into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer into another container. Add the sugar and honey, and stir until dissolved. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

  2. 2

    Combine egg white, simple syrup, scotch, lemon juice, and shrub in a cocktail shaker.

  3. 3

    Lock the shaker and dry-shake for 10 seconds.

  4. 4

    Unlock the shaker and fill with ice cubes. Shake vigorously until the shaker is frosted, about 20 seconds.

  5. 5

    Using a Hawthorne strainer and a fine-mesh strainer, pour the contents into a coupe glass.

  6. 6

    Garnish with a single leaf of flat-leaf parsley.

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