There is something so satisfying about a drink with a backbone of real history, and the Scofflaw has one of the best stories in the whole classic cocktail canon. It is proof that even a word invented to shame people into behaving better can end up attached to something this delicious.
A Word Born to Scold, and a Drink Born to Delight
In 1923, a Boston banker named Delcevare King, a committed teetotaler, launched a public contest with a $200 gold prize for whoever could coin the perfect insult for anyone who kept drinking through Prohibition. Out of more than 25,000 entries, two people independently landed on the same word, and “scofflaw” was born. It was meant to sting.
It did not sting for long. Just a year later, in 1924, the bartenders at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris took the word and gave it the ultimate comeback by naming a cocktail after it. Harry’s was already the birthplace of the Bloody Mary and the Sidecar, and it later gave us the Boulevardier too, so a whiskey drink with a wink of defiance built right into its name fit right in. Suddenly the word meant to shame drinkers became something worth toasting with.
What Makes It Taste So Good
The Scofflaw pairs rye whiskey with dry vermouth, then brightens the whole thing with fresh lemon juice and a little grenadine, often finished with a dash of orange bitters. The rye brings spice and backbone, the vermouth adds herbal depth, and the grenadine and lemon work together to give it a tart, rosy sweetness that never tips into syrupy.
It sits somewhere between a Manhattan and a whiskey sour, and it shares a real kinship with the Ward 8, another Prohibition era classic built on whiskey, citrus, and grenadine, though the Scofflaw’s vermouth gives it a different, more savory backbone.
Easy Ways to Make It Your Own
- Swap the rye for bourbon if you prefer a rounder, slightly sweeter pour
- Try a Canadian whiskey for the most historically accurate version
- Use fresh pomegranate grenadine instead of the bottled kind for a deeper, less sugary finish
- Add an extra dash of orange bitters for more citrus lift
- Garnish with a cherry instead of a lemon twist for a softer finish
Why Lush Life Loves It
We love a cocktail that wears its history so proudly, and the Scofflaw does it with real charm. It is spirited without being heavy, a little tart, a little sweet, and endlessly good looking in a coupe glass with that lemon twist catching the light. Order one and you are toasting a whole era of people who simply refused to give up their favorite drinks.
Here is the recipe
Scofflaw
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 oz Canadian whiskey
- ¼ oz lemon juice
- 1 oz dry vermouth
- 1 dash grenadine optional
- 1 dash orange bitters
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice.
- Stir well.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass.