Prohibition Era Rye Whiskey Cocktails

During Prohibition, Bourbon was hard to come by in European markets. Canadian whisky was easily substituted for rye whiskey so many rye whiskey cocktails survived and became popular. I thought I would look at a few of them in my cocktail books and share the recipes here. I will start by looking at the Savoy Cocktail Book by London bartender, Harry Craddock. In this book I found the following recipes:

King Cole Cocktail. 1 glass rye or Canadian whiskey, 2 dashes syrup, 1 dash Fernet Branca, 1 lump ice. Stir well and decorate with slices of orange and pineapple.

Manhattan Cocktail. Use small Bar Glass. 2 dashes Curacao or Maraschino, 1 pony rye, 1 wine glass Vermouth (mixed), 3 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 small lumps of ice. Shake up well, and strain into a claret glass. Put a quarter of a slice of lemon in the glass and serve. If preferred very sweet add two dashes of gum syrup.

Rye Whiskey Cocktail. 1 dash Angostura bitters, 4 dashes syrup, 1 glass rye or Canadian whisky. Stir well and strain into a cocktail glass. Add 1 cherry.

Russell House Cocktail. 2 dashes orange bitters, 2 dashes syrup, 3 dashes Blackberry Brandy, 1 glass Canadian whisky. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Sazerac Cocktail. 1 lump of sugar, 1 dash Angostura bitters or Peychana bitters, 1 glass Rye or Canadian whiskey. Stir well and strain into another glass that has been cooled, add 1 dash Pernod and squeeze lemon peel on top.

Scoff-Law Cocktail: 1 dash orange bitters, 1/3 Canadian whisky, 1/3 French Vermouth, 1/6 lemon juice, 1/6 Grenadine. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Soul Kiss Cocktail. 1/6 orange juice, 1/6 Dubonnet, 1/3 French Vermouth, 1/3 Canadian whisky. 1 slice of orange. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Next, I went to a new book in our collection, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: Prohibition Centennial Edition by Ted Haigh (AKA Dr. Cocktail). This is an interesting book with many Prohibition cocktails calling for rye whiskey.

The Byrrh Cocktail. 1 ounce rye whiskey, 1 ounce Byrrh (like Dubonnet but drier), 12 ounce dry vermouth. In a mixing glass, ice stir, strain, and serve in a cocktail glass.

The Blinker. 2 ounces rye, 1 ounce grapefruit juice, 2 bar spoons raspberry syrup. Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Japalac Cocktail: Juice of ½ orange, ¾ ounce dry Vermouth, ¾ ounce rye whiskey, 1 teaspoon raspberry syrup. Combine in an iced cocktail shaker, and shake and strain into a small cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The Revolving Door. 1 ½ ounce rye whiskey, 1 ½ ounce fresh lemon juice, 1 ½ ounce maple syrup. Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, strain, and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

The Scofflaw Cocktail: 1 ½ ounces rye, 1 ounce dry vermouth,3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice, ¾ ounce real pomegranate grenadine. Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Twelve Mile Limit. 1 ounce white rum, ½ ounce rye whiskey, ½ ounce brandy, ½ ounce grenadine, ½ ounce fresh lemon juice. Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Vieux Carre Cocktail. 1 ounce rye whiskey, 1 ounce cognac, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, ½ teaspoon Benedictine, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters. Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

I hope you enjoyed these Prohibition era cocktails. It is in this era that consumers began to perceive rye whiskey and Canadian whisky as the same spirit even though rye whiskey is a straight whiskey and Canadian whiskey is a blended whiskey. As rye whiskey production decreased after Prohibition, Canadian whisky sales increased. Fortunately, that trend ended in the 21^st century and we have many very good rye whiskeys available to make these cocktails. Cheers!