Let’s not dwell repeatedly on Paris and Harry’s Bar, but I’ve stumbled upon another fascinating drink—a must for any bartender’s repertoire, the Scofflaw Cocktail. In today’s landscape, mastering classics like Martini Dry, Negroni, or Gimlet barely scratches the surface.
I vaguely recall hearing or reading about a drink whose name stuck in my memory without much attention. I slotted it among whiskey classics like Bobby Burns or Rob Roy, despite discovering their recipes ages ago.
So, thanks to this piece, I decided to delve deeper and found an intriguingly simple story, perfect to share with guests without burdening them with complex details or historic tales.
This drink has ties to the American Prohibition, a time that outlawed the production, consumption, and sale of alcohol from 1920 until December 5, 1933—the same day Erik Lorincz celebrates his birthday. A date I’ll never forget to extend my wishes.
If you thought Prohibition was a romantic period for bars, shrouded in secrecy and innocent illegality, I regret to inform you—far from it. Police raids, mafia, and the threat of imprisonment were the order of the day, something no bartender would wish to experience today. Despite that, the concept of today’s speakeasy bars might sound romantic, but trust me, it was anything but. The ability to admit only those we wanted inside remains a tempting prospect for us bartenders.
Nevertheless, discussing alcohol wasn’t prohibited during that time. Speakeasy bars’ existence was known, police publicly reported successes in the form of confiscated alcohol and raids on illegal bars lacking protection. Newspapers naturally amplified these stories on their front pages, adorned with pictures of triumphant police raids—thousands of smashed bottles and liters of spilled alcohol from barrels into the sewers.
The Chicago Tribune went further. A gentleman named Delcevere King from Massachusetts, a notable supporter of the Volstead Act’s prohibition, wished to create a term or name for those consciously breaking this alcohol prohibition. He announced a contest in the aforementioned newspapers, offering $200 to the author of a winning word. The new word could have a maximum of two syllables and had to begin with the letter ‘S’—as King believed words starting with ‘S’ sounded sharp.
A staggering 2,500 respondents participated in the contest—an impressive number even by today’s standards! To add credibility, King enlisted Reverend E. Talmadge Root and the significant church representative of the Anti-Saloon League, A. J. Davis, as judges. On January 16, 1924, they rewarded two winners with the term “scoff-law,” a shortened form of “scoffing at the law.”
The response from the wet world didn’t delay. Within two days of announcing the winners, a brilliant bartender named Jock conceived a drink with this apt name, containing the banned alcohol in America. At Harry’s Bar, where Jock mixed and served drinks, not just bartenders but a sizable American clientele found amusement in this establishment.
The cocktail gained popularity with the slogan “Have a Scofflaw without risking three miles,” propagated by the bar and listed in their menu. The “three miles” referred to a law from 1702 allowing cannon fire three miles from the shore, a fear for alcohol smugglers, thus translating their goods beyond this limit. During Prohibition, this distance extended to twelve miles, making access to the shore difficult for small smuggling boats.
The recipe published in Barflies and Cocktails by Harry and Wynn from Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails refers to rye whiskey. However, many recipes feature Canadian whiskey, perhaps the most smuggled whiskey in America at the time, partially replacing the original rye whose production understandably halted. Scotch whiskey was hard to find in America then. For instance, Chivas Regal resumed deliveries to the USA only in 1938, re-entering the market with their luxurious 25-year-old blend first introduced in 1909, reappearing in 2007!
So, in its honor, I’ll make a Scofflaw using this excellent Scotch:
SCOFFLAW
- 45 ml (1 ½ oz) Chivas Regal 12 y.o. (Scotch Whiskey)
- 20 ml (1 oz) Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
- 15ml (1/2 oz) lemon juice
- 5 ml (1/6 oz) grenadine
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Mix all ingredients in a shaker with quality ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Ensure to use homemade grenadine! Extract seeds from a pomegranate. It’s quite easy but be cautious not to stain your clothes. Juice the seeds, add half a split vanilla bean, and seal with fine granulated sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. For stability, add ¾ – 1 oz of vodka.
