Happy Friday everyone. Hopefully your Friday is going better than mine. By the time this posts, I’ll be recuperating from shoulder surgery, related to the dislocation I’ve mentioned over the past few weeks. However, that will in no way, shape or form keep me from mixing tasty beverages. I’m sneaking this cocktail in under the wire, about an hour before the midnight food and beverage cutoff. Take that Medical Science! Anyway, I figured I’d go back to a classic, and mix up a Scofflaw from the Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails book:

1.5 oz. (1/3 gill) Rye

1 oz. (1/4 gill) Dry Vermouth

3/4 oz. (1/6 gill) Fresh Lemon Juice

3/4 oz. (1/6 gill) Real pomegranate grenadine

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist (optional)

Once again, we have a minor ingredient tweak. In lieu of real grenadine, I used Roses Grenadine syrup that I had on hand, and reduced the measurement to about 1/2 an ounce.

Also, a special shoutout to our friends from Chicago who came into town last weekend for Mrs. Sharkbait’s baby shower and brought me some rye from Whiskey Acres Distilling Company. I used their fantastic rye in this recipe.

It’s not overly sweet or tart, which I was concerned about given that just about half this drink is very strong sour flavors due to the equal parts lemon and pomegranate. However, the vermouth and rye add a nice counter, to keep things in check. My version only had a slight sour finish, which I chalk up to the fact that I used pomegranate syrup rather than pomegranate juice. However the sour finish isn’t a bad thing. I’d much rather have a slightly sour flavor than overly sweet due to too much concentrated pomegranate syrup. Like most prohibition cocktails, it’s definitely strong, but easy drinking. This should be a one and done, but if offered more than one, I’d happily have another or two, but then that could lead to disaster…

(Banner image found here)