Twelve Mile Limit

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (67 ratings)

Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
1 oz Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
12 oz Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
12 oz Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac
12 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
13 oz Monin Grenadine Syrup
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.
  3. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  4. STRAIN into chilled glass.
  5. Garnish with skewered cherry.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 7/10

Review:

Spirit-forward, sweet and sour with rich grenadine balancing lemon sourness, laced with a trio of spirits.

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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.

Nutrition:

One serving of Twelve Mile Limit contains 160 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.3 standard drinks
  • 22.07% alc./vol. (22.07° proof)
  • 18.8 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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G. M. Genovese’s Avatar G. M. Genovese
27th July 2024 at 13:18
Mess of a cocktail that tastes marginally better stirred. Should be a shot with a Tajin rim. Worked better with the grenadine at 15 ml too. My grenadine is the Morgenthaler recipe, so it ain't a red, fruitish syrup. That might be the x-factor.
18th May 2024 at 09:56
A delicious taste of history with an unusual mix of base spirits.
John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
24th October 2023 at 00:17
Wonderful pre-Prohibition cocktail. Flavourful and no nonsense. Three alcohols works perfectly and the lemon is perfect. Well balanced.
Dávid Ugróczi’s Avatar Dávid Ugróczi
29th December 2022 at 18:57
I enjoyed this cocktail, the three spirits work really well together.