The Scofflaw Cocktail: A Drink Deadwood Fans Would Love

Photo credit: HBO.com

What to watch with your Scofflaw cocktail

I don't know about you, but I still mourn the loss of Deadwood, the cancelled HBO series starring ill-tempered, foul-mouthed Al Swerengen. So when I come across words that sound as poetically filthy, even Shakespearean, as the rest of creator David Milch's dialogue, I grab the reigns and hold on tight. Such was the case with the Scofflaw Cocktail. Scofflaw is a great word. The etymology is as follows: In 1923, a rich Prohibitionist wanted to "stab awake the conscience" of those who drank and offered two hundred dollars to whoever could come up with the best word to describe "a lawless drinker of illegally made or obtained liquor."

A year later, the Chicago Tribune reported that a bartender by the name of Jock, working at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, created The Scofflaw Cocktail.

This rye-based drink has shoulders broad enough to withstand any scuffles you may find yourself in.

The Scofflaw Cocktail
Makes: 1 cocktail
Note: Adapted from "The Official Mixer's Manual," by Gavin Duffy (1934).

1 ounce rye whiskey
1 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 - 3/4 ounce grenadine (to taste)
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1 dash orange bitters

1. In a glass filled with ice, mix all the ingredients. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.