Scofflaw Cocktail

By Steve Kilcullen Jump to Recipe

Embrace your inner scoundrel with this historic cocktail.

When I first saw Brian de Palma’s gangster classic The Untouchables, released in 1987, my young mind was thoroughly blown. There was something terrifying about the violent world those characters lived in, and when I learned that Elliot Ness and Al Capone were real-life adversaries, and that the story the film was telling was true, I had to learn more. A few years before I saw the movie, my cousin and I stayed up late one night to watch Geraldo open Capone’s empty vault on live television, so the mobster’s legend was already cemented in my brain. I used to think Ness and his team of Untouchables were characters from an old TV show, unaware that their exploits inspired both that program and the movie. 

Kevin Costner joins legendary stars Sean Connery and Robert De Niro in the Prohibition-era drama. There are bombings, shootouts with baby carriages in the midst, murders and Tommy guns aplenty… pretty intense stuff for anyone of any age to view, but so electric and entertaining you can’t look away. Connery is so incredible in it he won many accolades that year, including the Oscar. I’m a bit of an armchair archaeologist, so when I learned of that period in history from watching the movie I started to dig and educate myself. What I discovered was that most of what was portrayed in the film as fact… never happened. How does that old expression go? Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. I think.

Whenever we run across cocktails that are said to have been born during Prohibition, it’s usually not the case. Take the Gin Rickey for example. We associate this drink with the Roaring Twenties, primarily because of characters greedily lapping them up in the novel The Great Gatsby. But in reality, that beverage was invented in the 1880s. Usually, people drank the simplest mixtures available when they were illegally imbibing, such as champagne. The idea was to be ready to get rid of anything as quickly as possible if the police knocked on the door. So whenever we hear of drinks that are supposed to be famous concoctions born from a period rife with “Sturm und Drang”, definitely double-check the origins. 

Tonight’s cocktail, however, is a creation that hails from the time of the Dry Crusade. Called a Scofflaw, this whiskey, vermouth and lemon juice mixture was the brainchild of Jock the bartender, all the way across the pond at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, France. While it wasn’t being enjoyed at speakeasies in the States, we can sip on it now and think of those folks that, according to the Oxford Dictionary, “flouts the law, especially by failing to comply with a law that is difficult to enforce effectively.”

What is the Best Whiskey to Use in a Scofflaw Cocktail?

Our recipe calls for using a rye whiskey when making yourself a Scofflaw. This type of spirit will bring a drier, spicy taste to your drink, but aged versions will bring smoky and peppery notes of oak and fruit. You can also opt to use bourbon instead, which will have a smoother texture and offer flavors that include caramel and vanilla. Whichever route you decide on, High West offers some of the best of both liquors. It’s what I’m currently drinking, in terms of whiskey or bourbon, and they’re great in cocktails or sipped neat.

What kind of glassware and garnish is used?

Chill a cocktail glass before pouring your drink into it. You can achieve this by either filling the glass with ice, then tossing the cubes before you serve, or popping the glass in the freezer for about fifteen minutes before prepping the recipe.

Where did the name of the drink come from?

The word itself was actually invented during Prohibition, on January 15th, 1924 to be exact. Prominent prohibitionist Delcevare King held a contest to see who could come up with a word that would perfectly describe a person who participated in the illegal drinking of outlawed hooch. Soon after the term caught on, Jock at Harry’s in Paris was inspired to create the cocktail that bears its name.

Similar Cocktails to the Scofflaw

You’re in the mood for some hot jazz, dancing the Charleston and sipping on what used to be against the law. That nostalgic feeling of a time before your own has your head filled with romantic visions of flappers and bathtub gin cocktails. Thankfully, you can buy some of the best spirits available without the fear of getting arrested. Try some of these party-starters the next time you open your home speakeasy.

• Southside – Al Capone’s cocktail of choice, created to mask the taste of bootleg bathtub gin.
• Bee’s Knees – Another drink that lays claim to be an illicit product of Prohibition.
• Sidecar – This classic beverage is also said to hail from Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, France.
• Eastside – A contemporary riff on drinks of illegal legend.