Twelve Mile Limit

History

In his Vintage Sprits and Forgotten Cocktails, Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh affirms that Thomas Franklin Fairfax Millard (1868-1942), a war correspondent and journalist, is "the confirmed author of the Twelve Mile Limit Cocktail."

The Twelve Mile Limit is one of several Prohibition-era cocktails whose name references the distance from a shore that a nation's territorial waters. During the 18th century this was established as three nautical miles (5.6 km), the distance a cannonball could be shot from the shore to repel incursions. Hence, during Prohibition, US jurisdiction was limited to three miles offshore so allowing the legal supply of alcohol to parties on board boats just outside territorial waters.

As the number of offshore parties grew, the US negotiated agreements with countries such as the UK and France to recognize the right of the American authorities to enforce Prohibition and anti-smuggling laws to an extended 12-mile limit. Predictably, the parties moved further off-shore. On 29th December 1988, President Reagan extended the territorial waters of the United States to 12 miles from 3 miles.

The notoriety of the three-mile and then 12-mile limit to the reach of the Feds during Prohibition led to the Three Miller/Three Mile Limit the Twelve Miles Out, and the Twelve Mile Limit cocktails. The Twelve Mile limit is a rye whiskey laced Three Miller – as the limit was extended, so the cocktail was made stronger.