panacea

2 oz Banks Rum
1/2 oz Ginger-Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass pre-rinsed with Batavia Arrack.

For my second cocktail at the Banks 5 Island Rum event, I was drawn to John Gertsen's creation. His drink, the Panacea named after the the Greek goddess of healing, was a take on Manhattan bartender Sam Ross's cure-all, the Penicillin. Whereas the Penicillin uses a smoky single malt Scotch to add accent to a blended one, the Panacea calls for a Batavia Arrack to shift the direction and focus of the rum blend to something a bit spicier and funkier. For completion's sake, I should mention Sam's other paired cocktail, the Little Branch Cocktail, which jazzes up tequila with a hint of Mezcal.
All three of the drinks pair the spirit mix with a honey-ginger syrup; while both of Sam's cut the sweet with lemon juice, John chose lime juice to better complement the rum. The Panacea that bartender Bryn Tattan made me was like a bubbles-less Air Mail. Surrounding this impression, the Panacea started with a slightly smoky and funky nose and ended with a heavy ginger spice on the swallow.