Scofflaw

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Cocktail History

The Scofflaw is a classic cocktail that was created by Harry EacElhone at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, France. It is traditionally made with rye, vermouth, grenadine, and citrus. It was also named for the word coined in a Boston Herald contest for criminals who refused to give up their boozy beverages during Prohibition in the United States, and it is believed to have become popular because it appealed to the expats living in France at the time.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Rye: This is a type of whiskey made with at least 51% rye grain, malted barley, corn, and water. I used Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey.

Dry Vermouth: This is a fortified wine made with grapes, sugar, botanicals, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. I used Dolin Dry Vermouth de Chambéry.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Grenadine: This is a sweetener made with pomegranate juice and white sugar. I used this stovetop recipe.

Orange Bitters: This is a food product made with oranges, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Orange Bitters.

Lemon Wedge: This a slice of an lemon that has been cut into a wedge shape.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Brown-ish red color

• Aroma: Wine, citrus, and whiskey

• Taste: Initial spicy whiskey flavor rounded out with strong vermouth notes and citrus

• Finish: Sweet pomegranate and more spices

Kendall’s Take: “To be honest, I wasn’t very impressed with the Scofflaw. I found its alcoholic flavor to be way too strong even though the drink is quite sweet for a whiskey cocktail. If I made it again, I would have to play around with adjusting the ingredients, but I like so many other recipes more that I don’t think I’ll ever bother to do that.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Art of Vintage Cocktails by Stephanie Rosenbaum.